There are times when G. K. Chesterton, the saint of glibness (but sometimes his glibness is saintly!) seems to be talking about us right here, right now.
The modern habit of saying, "This is my opinion, but I may be wrong," is entirely irrational. If I say that it may be wrong I say this is not my opinion. The modern habit of saying "Every man has a different philosophy; this is
my philosophy and it suits me"; the habit of saying this is mere weak-mindedness. A cosmic philosophy is not constructed
to fit a man; a cosmic philosophy is constructed to fit a cosmos. A man can no more possess a private religion than he can possess a private sun and moon.
That's from an introduction he wrote to the Book of Job in 1916 (xvi-xvii), before his conversion to Catholicism.
The modern habit of saying, "This is my opinion, but I may be wrong," is entirely irrational. If I say that it may be wrong I say this is not my opinion. The modern habit of saying "Every man has a different philosophy; this ismy philosophy and it suits me"; the habit of saying this is mere weak-mindedness. A cosmic philosophy is not constructed
to fit a man; a cosmic philosophy is constructed to fit a cosmos. A man can no more possess a private religion than he can possess a private sun and moon.
That's from an introduction he wrote to the Book of Job in 1916 (xvi-xvii), before his conversion to Catholicism.
