In fact men will fight for a superstition quite as quickly as for

Hear the words of Hypatia of Alexandria, philosopher and martyr, who spoke with a mind as luminous as the stars: “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 cannot get at it to refute it, but truth is a point of view, and so is changeable.” These words come not from idle reflection but from a woman who lived and died amidst the clash of ideas, where belief was sharper than the sword and where falsehoods bound men more tightly than chains.

What is a superstition but a shadow clothed as light, a phantom of the mind that defies both logic and reason? It is intangible, as Hypatia says; you cannot lay hand upon it, you cannot break it with argument, for it lives not in the realm of proof but in the realm of fear and faith. Men will defend it with a fervor greater than that given to truth, because a truth can be questioned, examined, and even altered by new light. But a superstition—being immaterial—escapes the grasp of reason, and thus clings to the heart with iron chains.

Consider the age in which Hypatia lived. Alexandria, the jewel of learning, held the greatest library in the world, where scrolls and scholars sought after wisdom. Yet in that same city, mobs rose in fury over beliefs that could not be touched or measured. Hypatia, teacher of philosophy and mathematics, stood for truth—for knowledge that could be tested and reasoned. But against her rose the storm of superstition, intangible and unassailable by logic, and it was this storm that claimed her life. She became a martyr not because truth was weak, but because superstition is harder to uproot than reason can endure.

History bears many such examples. Think of Galileo, who looked to the heavens and declared that the earth moves around the sun. His truth was measurable, visible, provable. Yet the Church clung to a superstition—the belief in an earth unmoving, sanctified not by observation but by doctrine. They fought him not with evidence but with persecution, for superstition cannot be refuted, only feared. And so Hypatia’s words ring true: men will fight harder for the shadows of their mind than for the light before their eyes.

The lesson, then, is both grave and clear: beware the power of belief when it is divorced from reason. Truth must always be pursued, but never worshiped as unchanging, for as Hypatia says, it is a point of view, refined with time, sharpened with new discovery. To cling to truth as if it were eternal is to make of it a superstition itself. To seek truth with humility, knowing it may change, is the path of wisdom.

Thus, O listener, be cautious in your battles. Do not waste your breath against superstition, for it is smoke that cannot be seized. Instead, live truth, embody it, and let it shine until superstition fades before its light. And when you hold to truth, hold it with humility, not arrogance, for tomorrow’s dawn may reveal what today’s wisdom cannot see. Truth is living, breathing, and must be carried with both strength and gentleness.

Practical action flows from this: question what you hold, and ask if it is truth or superstition. Do not defend an idea merely because it is yours; test it against reason, against compassion, against evidence. And when others cling to superstition, do not descend into endless conflict, but offer them light patiently, persistently, and with dignity. For reason persuades slowly, but superstition crumbles only before the steady march of lived example.

So let Hypatia’s voice echo across the ages: men will fight for superstition as fiercely as for truth, but it is the seeker of wisdom who knows the difference. Do not fall into despair when shadows rage against the light, for this has always been the way of the world. Instead, become the bearer of light, humble in knowledge, steadfast in courage, and unafraid to let your truth grow with time. For though superstition may burn libraries and silence voices, the flame of wisdom endures in every soul that dares to seek it.