African Spir Quote

If we recognize, following the materialist theories, that only the physical nature exist, and that man contain no higher essence, divine, which, by one side of his being, raise him above his animal nature, it would be a question neither of obligation, nor of moral responsibility; then the supreme good would consist for him, indeed, to satisfy his appetites and his natural inclinations, to look for the pleasure and flee from pain. In this case, there could be neither religion nor moral, since religion is precisely what raise man above vulgar reality, and that moral is the very negation of selfishness.

Words of a Sage : Selected thoughts of African Spir (1937)