Hypatia

This cool quote is circling the Interwebs, attributed to Hypatia of Alexandria:

Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fancies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing. The child-mind accepts and believes them, and only through great pain and perhaps tragedy can he be, in later-years, relieved of them. In fact, men will fight for a superstition quite as quickly as for a living truth – often more so; since a superstition is so intangible you can not get at it to refute it, but truth is a point of view, and so is changeable.

Certainly a great thought, but probably not Hypatia. In other words, it is, ironically, a fable. But this authentic quote from Epicurus will do just as nicely: "It is impossible for someone to dispel his fears about the most important matters if he does not know the nature of the universe but still gives some credence to myths. So without the study of nature there is no enjoyment of pure pleasure."

Meanwhile, Prof. Fran Bagenal really did dress up as Hypatia to teach Greek astronomy. Cool!