Immanuel Velikovsky

Psychoanalyst

Immanuel Velikovsky was a controversial author and theorist known for his work on catastrophism and its impact on historical events, particularly in 'Worlds in Collision'.

Born
July 10, 1895
Died
August 7, 1979
Quotes
11
Rank
#4163

About Immanuel Velikovsky

Immanuel Velikovsky — Life and Legacy

Immanuel Velikovsky was a Russian-born psychiatrist and author whose theories on catastrophism challenged the established views of history and science. His most notable work, 'Worlds in Collision', proposed that ancient myths and historical accounts were rooted in real cosmic events, such as planetary collisions and upheavals. Velikovsky's assertion that these catastrophic events shaped human history was revolutionary, as he argued that traditional timelines were often misleading. His quote, 'The history of mankind is a history of catastrophes', encapsulates his belief that understanding these events is crucial to comprehending our past. Velikovsky's ideas were met with significant resistance from the scientific community, which largely adhered to gradualist perspectives. He emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, merging mythology, history, and astronomy to present a cohesive narrative. His work highlighted the tension between established scientific norms and innovative thinking, as he sought to illuminate the profound impact of cosmic events on Earth. Today, Velikovsky's theories continue to provoke thought and discussion, as they challenge us to reconsider the forces that have shaped our planet and civilizations. His legacy lies in his ability to inspire curiosity and debate about the complexities of history and the universe.

Quote collection

Immanuel Velikovsky quotes

11 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"It is difficult to describe in short the enthusiasm and devotion provoked by and given to my research. We lived almost in poverty. I used pencils, two for a nickel, and could not buy a fountain pen, when I lost mine."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"My earliest memory is dreamlike: in a small orchard or garden I am carried on the arm, I believe, of my father; there was a group of grown-ups, my mother among them, and the group was slowly walking in the orchard, it seems toward the house."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"Don't be afraid to face the facts, and never lose your ability to ask the questions: Why? and How?"

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"If, occasionally, historical evidence does not square with formulated laws, it should be remembered that a law is but a deduction from experience and experiment, and therefore laws must conform with historical facts, not facts with laws."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"The sea erupted. Often the sea and land changed places. The immobility of contours of continents and seas, a dogma in geology, has no basis in fact. And immediately there is the problem of the climate. There were ancient climates that were very different from what they are today. If those corals grew where they were found, certainly the Earth was not travelling with the same elements of rotation and revolution which means not in the same orbit, not with the axis directed in the same position as it is today. If you don't believe it, try to conservate corals on the North Pole."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"And Venus must be hot if the history of the solar system is not the history of no change for billions of years. And Venus was found hot, not room temperature as was thought until 1959. In 1961 it was detected with radio means that it is like something like 600 Farenheit and Mariner 2 was sent out to find out true or not true? It was found that even more it is full 800 [degrees Farenheit]."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"Mankind in Amnesia has to do not only with the past, like my other books -- primarily it has to do with the future, a future not removed by thousands or tens of thousands of years, but the imminent future, on whose threshold we now stand."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"On the day I was born, or possibly on one of the following days, my father went on a walk in the forested hills and thought of a name for me. His first son was called Daniel, and Samuel in memory of one of his forefathers."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"My first name - I have no middle name - was chosen by my father, as he told me, on that solitary walk in the forested hills. He selected it from a verse of the seventh chapter of Isaiah; there was no Immanuel among our ancestors known to him."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"My father felt that his world of ideas was too liberal for traditional rabbinical teachings, and he looked for a chance to find a way in life."

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Immanuel Velikovsky Psychoanalyst
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"When I was a child of six or seven my father would show me the chapter in the prophet Isaiah where the name Immanuel is found; more than once he spoke to me of the faith he put in me."

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