As to Science, she has never sought to ally herself to civil power. She has never attempted to throw odium or inflict social ruin on any human being. She has never subjected anyone to mental torment, physical torture, least of all to death, for the purpose of upholding or promoting her ideas. She presents herself unstained by cruelties and crimes. But in the Vaticanwe have only to recall the Inquisitionthe hands that are now raised in appeals to the 'Most Merciful' are crimsoned. They have been steeped in blood!

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Themes

  • Death — Contemplations on mortality, loss, and the legacy we leave
  • History — Lessons from the past and the arc of human civilisation
  • Science — Discovery, inquiry, and the wonders of the natural world

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