“I admire especially a certain prophetess who lived beside a lake in Northern New York State about the year 1820. She announced to her numerous followers that she possessed the power of walking on water, and that she proposed to do so at 11 o’clock on a certain morning. At the stated time, the faithful assembled in their thousands beside the lake. She spoke to them, saying: 

“Are you all entirely persuaded that I can walk on water?“ With one voice they replied: “We are.“ “In that case,“ she announced, “there is not need for me to do so.“ 

And they all went home much edified.“ *

— Bertrand Russell, An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish: A Hilarious Catalogue of Organized and Individual Stupidity (1943) Image: Bertrand Russell (1954). 

* The word “edified” has seen a marked decline in use; it refers to the act of educating or conferring moral and spiritual benefits. It is often used to describe phenomena that cultivate intellectual or moral awareness. While it may not be frequently used in casual conversation, it is a legitimate and accepted term in the English language.