Tell me your thoughts on this quote. (WARNING:requires thought).?

Question

Think for yourself
Question authority

Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities, the political, the religious, the educational authorities who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality. To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open-mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself.

Think for yourself.
Question authority.

Dr. Timothy Leary

Thanks to all of you who really put some thought into your answers. Some of you make some good points, and some people are too quick to make assumptions about things that they believe are so or not so. It will be hard to pick a best answer!

Answer 1

You are far too kind to the "authorities". They provide the "rules" to control us in a manner favorable to their agendas, i assure you.

To be a wise individual requires understanding what being human is really all about, and then being brave enough to claim your "true power" as being "one with the gods". The authorities would be sore distressed if the humans under their thumb realized this truth, especially simultaneously:))

Answer 2

Hmm...First off, I want to mention that I love the 'WARNING', now THAT was funny =^-^= I think about this every day... I've always been slightly depressed at the notion that religion (especially) was an early form of holding order.
Our forming religions is just a more advanced version of what animals do. What I mean is, for example, Zebras breed and then separate into smaller herds because they instinctively know that inbreeding is wrong. In the Bible, humans have just created a more creative way of preventing incest, by giving the instinct a name and moral conscience. We use laws to help us survive because we are domesticated and have very few instincts.
Secondly, while thinking outside the box is usually a good thing, I fear that small notions such as these lead to large problems like anarchy and literalism.
Though what this quote is saying gives one a sense of justice and freedom, there is a reason why living in fear of a leader or idol has prevailed as a working plan through the entirety of human existance.
People need fear. They need fear to keep them from remembering that possibly, none of it could matter in the end. They need fear because it makes them feel safe. If THEY fear the laws, others must fear it too and that means that laws written to keep them safe and punish those who are dangerous, (which is their fundamental purpose), will be effective.
Lastly, I am in no way denying the benefits of free thought, which, in its own right, spurns creativity, invention, and advancement. I am merely stating that in my opinion, it is better to live in the dark for as long as we can so that when we find the light, our creativity, which only we humans are blessed with on this planet, will blossom more constructively and for the benefit and advancement of human existence.
And thus is the pattern we have lived with since the beginning of time. Chaos, structure, balance, question, chaos.~ Each time we rebuild ourselves, we advance. Survival of the fittest. Respect the rules and office until you find your path in helping the world. Only then, do you have the right to question authority. Then you will become the leader and should lead until you are not fit again and another will take your place.
--Sirius

Answer 3

I was taught to respect my authorities, and I know what you mean what makes them ( also confused human beings ) qualified to be authorities over us...There human too, but I guess someone has to do the job, and try and lead the people to civilization. The truth is that we are not civilized people anymore...There is too much hatred and violence in this world that some one has to stand up for it. Some one has to catch the bad guys..or do you want the job? As far as educational authority ..These are figures that already did what you are doing and I believe that deserves some respect. These are the people that teach you..show you..make you wiser. The religious authority are a people that want a good life for you..these are a people that will pray to God on your behalf..take time out to hear your problems, and try to find solutions for them. These for the most part are a good people with good intentions, and any one who is willing to help a total stranger in this day and age deserves some respect. We are what we live...We are our reality?

Answer 4

Well, this quote is spoken from the perspective of someone who is himself lost. It operates under the predisposition that there truly is no one correct direction to go in this world, and that we are indeed lost without any one source of instruction that supercedes any other. Dr. Leary's experimentation with LSD and his ensuing propensity for philosophical questioning stems from HIS total lack of direction. I fully agree with his characterization that thinking for yourself and a blind questioning of all authority would leave you in chaos, both confused and vulnerable.

Therefore I would assert that there is a better form of advice. That is to, at some point, not question all authority. When you hear an explanation for something that is not known to you: First consider your source, then consider the evidence, then consider the alternatives. At that time, I believe that a free-thinking, well informed, truly open-minded person can arrive at an acceptable explanation, or list of explanations, by which further testing can be derived.

It is ironic to me that the only thing that seems to be considered 'politically' correct in todays culture is to assume that everybody else has no idea what they are talking about, and that the only intellectually correct way of thinking is to assume there are no absolute truths or that questions have no absolute answers. I think that that is not only self-defeating but also completely false. Accepting solutions to questions is the basis of reasoning and therefore the basis of science. I think that following his advice is to not follow his advice.

If one does not stand for something, they will fall for anything.
~Anonymous

Answer 5

Yes, but I don't think you need to take acid to achieve this "state of vulnerable open-mindedness." Questioning reality with a sober mind will produce greater results than if one does it with a drug addled consciousness. If you take drugs to free your mind you are just being a conformist of a different group of individuals and I think what Mr. Leary is talking about is not adhering to any party or conviction or "big" thing or idea. People might create new realities (like the hippies) but pretty soon everyone is clinging to that new reality because it is the most accessible--i.e. they don't want to have to search their own minds to come up with their own reality so they just jump on the bandwagon of everybody elses'.

Answer 6

Yes, it's absolutely true. Then you can become very frustrated at the things which are not right for you or which you are not right for.

Then chaos is considered as an option where every person is for themselves then the world is still threatening and dangerous but for different reasons.

I do often think, I was born as a free agent....this planet belongs to no one person but equally to all of us...why should I be CONTROLLED and accept this control, but I suppose that control is the price for a limited amount of protection.

Oooh it was a deep question! But I am a deep person!

Answer 7

Kind of cool I guess. But to question authority, don't we need to have things that can only be developed with the products of authority such as education? We might be rational to a certain extent without any influence from authority, but we would definitely not be as fluent in our thoughts.

Answer 8

"Dr" Leary was a bit of a free thinker, and I am going to hazard a guess that his "better living through chemistry" is where he came up with the "chaotic and confused" part of the last sentence.......
I don't see any reason to be in a state of chaos in order to question........
Timothy Leary's statements were more like "think for yourself and follow me, turn on, tune in, drop out"
Kind of a contradiction, no?

Answer 9

To question authority would require thought. The majority of humanity nowadays is too lazy to do anything, much less think; therefore remaining blind to much of what is really happening. and unable to see the true beauty in the everyday that we take for granted.

Or are our lives simply lead by too much fear in present time??

Answer 10

I have thought out my Christian faith and I have accepted its authority in my life. It HAS told me who I am and where I am going. I am freer as a Christian than not being one.
God placed authority where it is. None of it is perfect, because all those positions are held by fallible people, but authority merits respect, even if the people in such places are not as respectable as they should be.