The Dominion of Fear

Dogmatism and Scepticism

[Only] while under the dominion of fear, do men fall … prey to superstition …

— Baruch Spinoza (1632 – 77), Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, 1677.


The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge …

— Proverbs, 1:7, King James Bible, 1611.


And in these four things,

• opinion of ghosts,
• ignorance of second causes,
• devotion towards what men fear, and
• taking things casual for prognostics,

consisteth the natural seed of religion …
So easy are men drawn to believe any thing, from such men as have gotten credit with them; and can with gentleness, and dexterity, take hold of their fear, and ignorance.

— Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679), Of Religion, Leviathan, Chapter 12, 1651.


That's the thing about faith.
If you don't have it, you can't understand it.
And if you do, no explanation is necessary.

— Accession, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Episode 16, Season 4, 1996.


NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Our CHIEF weapon is Surprise …
Surprise and Fear. …

Our TWO weapons are Fear and Surprise …
And Ruthless Efficiency. …

Our THREE weapons are Fear, Surprise, and Ruthless Efficiency …
And An Almost Fanatical Devotion To The Pope. …

Our FOUR …
AMONGST our weaponry are such diverse elements as:

• Fear,
• Surprise,
• Ruthless Efficiency, [AND …]
• An Almost Fanatical Devotion To The Pope …

(Monty Python's Flying Circus, BBC, 22 September, 1970)