Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.

Darrow’s line laments an education that treats certainty and obedience as virtues, warning that such schooling can become a “tragedy” because it disables the very habits that make learning and civic freedom possible. To Darrow, doubt is not mere contrariness; it is the engine of inquiry—testing claims, revising beliefs, and resisting dogma imposed by authority. Teaching children “not to doubt” suggests indoctrination: a system that prizes fixed answers over questions, and conformity over intellectual courage. The quote aligns with Darrow’s broader public stance against moral and religious absolutism and in favor of critical thinking as a safeguard against manipulation and injustice.