"The danger to society is not merely that it should believe wrong things, though that is great enough; but that it should become credulous, and lose the habit of testing things and inquiring into them; for then it must sink back into savagery"

William Kingdon Clifford's quote records an extensive philosophical and social caution about the importance of uncertainty and important inquiry. The quote can be dissected into a number of key insights about the nature of belief and the repercussions of intellectual complacency.

First of all, Clifford acknowledges that thinking in fallacies is naturally dangerous. This risk originates from the capacity for incorrect beliefs to result in poor decisions, both on a private and collective level. If society is directed by unreliable or fallacious concepts, the results can ripple through various sectors consisting of politics, science, and principles, leading to errors that could have been prevented with a more rigorous assessment of the realities.

However, Clifford suggests that there is an even higher danger: society ending up being credulous or excessively gullible. This condition of credulity indicates an uncritical approval of info, where people and communities stop to question or examine the validity of the knowledge they consume. In a credulous society, the practice of screening assumptions and seeking evidence is deteriorated, which Clifford argues is a substantial threat.

Without the routine of inquiry, society loses its intellectual rigor and the capability to distinguish between trustworthy info and disinformation. This can cause intellectual stagnancy and regression-- what Clifford describes as a "sink back into savagery". Here, "savagery" signifies a state of cultural and cognitive decline, where factor and evidence are subordinate to unfounded beliefs and narratives.

Additionally, Clifford's statement can be viewed as a call to action to preserve vigilance versus complacency. It underscores the need for individuals to cultivate a frame of mind that values uncertainty and evidential reasoning. By doing so, society can protect against the disintegration of intellectual and moral development. Clifford's insight remains relevant today, specifically in the age of details, where the obstacle is not simply access to knowledge however guaranteeing its accuracy and importance. In summary, the quote functions as a cautionary reminder of the importance of critical thinking as a structure for a healthy and progressive society.