From a historical viewpoint, religion is just a kind of superstition, and from a political viewpoint it is a tool of social control.

Of course you cannot free yourself from the laws of nature; but the laws of nervous systems are not the same as the physical laws.

From a historical viewpoint, religion is just a kind of superstition, and from a political viewpoint it is a tool of social control.

My Third-World roots remind me that the vast majority of our fellow human beings live hungry, sick, and uneducated, and that most social scientists, even in that world, ignore that ugly reality. This is why my papers in mathematical sociology deal not with free choice among 30 flavors of ice-cream, but with social structure, social cohesion, and social marginality.

One can discern a few very general myths that facilitate the birth of further myths: that everything is possible; that whatever we have failed to explain in normal and earthly terms must have paranormal or supernatural explanations; and that science, being rational, cannot explain the irrational, such as taste and love.

A democratic state will protect the freedom to hold any beliefs other than those that harm others, such as racism. In particular, it will see to it that no one is harmed just because of her beliefs.

Most contemporary philosophers are conservative and eager to keep their jobs.