“The world must be considered carefully [Martin Luther said]. It’s governed by opinions, and therefore it’s ruled by sophistical hypocrisy and tyranny. True religion is compelled to serve them as a maidservant. One must therefore be careful and beware of sophistry, which consists not only of equivocation in words but flourishes under all circumstances, so that in religion it possesses a magnificent pretense under the guise of Holy Scripture. There’s more harm in sophistry than any man can perceive; our nature, which is prone to lying, can’t see the evil in sophistry at all. Plato offers a remarkable description of sophistry: People who can twist everything, repudiate the opinions of others, and draw conclusions on both sides after the manner of Carneades are not to be praised. These are sly tricks. It’s the glory of a good character [on the other hand] to seek the truth and to rejoice in guilelessness.” (Luther’s Works, v. 54, p.322)