Morality without religion is only a kind of dead reckoning -- an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the distance we have run, but without any observation of the heavenly bodies.

Summary

This quote suggests that morality without religion is akin to navigating through life without any guiding principles or values. It compares it to dead reckoning, a method used in navigation that estimates one's position based on previous movement but lacks any reference to external landmarks. Similarly, morality divorced from religion is portrayed as an attempt to find one's moral bearings without any reference to religious teachings or guidance, similar to navigating a cloudy sea without any observation of the stars or other celestial bodies that would provide clear direction.

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