Assuagement Quotes (1 quote)
Everything that the human race has done and thought is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assuagement of pain. One has to keep this constantly in mind if one wishes to understand spiritual movements and their development. Feeling and longing are the motive force behind all human endeavor and human creation, in however exalted a guise the latter may present themselves to us.
In Essay, 'On Religion and Science' as collected in Ideas And Opinions. (2010), 35 [where it is cited as “Written expressly for the New York Times Magazine” (9 Nov 1930), “pp. (1-4). The German
text was published in the Berliner Tageblatt” (11 Nov 1930).] Also seen in New York Times archive newspaper image as: “Everything that men do or think concerns the satisfaction of the needs they feel or the escape from pain. This must be kept in mind when we seek to understand spiritual or intellectual movements and the way in which they develop. For feeling and longing are the motive forces of all human striving and productivity—however nobly these latter may display themselves to us,” in 'Religion and Science', New York Times Magazine (9 Nov 1930), 1. [It is a puzzle that these are two totally different paragraphs (albeit with the same gist): one quoted and cited in a book, and one from a direct image from NYT archive (timesmachine). Yet the first claims to have been “expressly written” for the cited newspaper article, which does not match that wording in the image record of the actual newspaper. However, the printed book title page states: Based on Mein Welttrild, edited by Cal Seelig, and other sources. New translations and revisions by Sonja Bargmann. So perhaps (at a guess) the first version of the quote shown above is a translation from the German newspaper? —Webmaster]
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
