Home / Quotes / Quote by Thomas Nagel

Quote by Thomas Nagel

“equally real at all stages of his life; specifically, the fact that a particular stage is present cannot be regarded as conferring on it any special status.”

Quote by Thomas Nagel

Book:The Possibility of Altruism

Work

The Possibility of Altruism

This book delves into the nature of altruism, examining its presence and significance in human actions and interactions. It investigates the psychological, ethical, and social aspects of altruistic behavior, offering insights into why individuals may act selflessly and the impact of such actions on society. more

Author

Thomas Nagel, born on July 4, 1937, is an American philosopher renowned for his contributions to moral philosophy, political philosophy, and epistemology. His works delve into themes such as free will, moral intuition, objectivity, philosophy of mind, and religion. more

You May Also Like

“To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe.”

Believe Looks Action Moral Psychology Theory Ethics Things To Do Right Thing

Book:Mortal Questions : Canto

Source: Mortal Questions : Canto

“A theory of motivation is defective if it renders intelligible behaviour which is not intelligible.”

Ifs Action Motivation Moral Psychology Theory Ethics Behaviour Defective

Book:The Possibility of Altruism

Source: The Possibility of Altruism

“A person may be greedy, envious, cowardly, cold, ungenerous, unkind, vain, or conceited, but behave perfectly by a monumental act of the will.”

May Persons Action Moral Psychology Cold Ethics Vain Behave Greedy Cowardly Envious Unkind Conceited

Book:Mortal Questions

Source: Mortal Questions

“The inclusion of consequences in the conception of what we have done is an acknowledgement that we are parts of the world, but the paradoxical character of moral luck which emerges from this acknowledgement shows that we are unable to operate with such a view, for it leaves us with no one to be.”

World Done Character Shows Action Views Moral Psychology Ethics Consequence Luck Conception Inclusion Paradoxical Acknowledgement

Book:Mortal Questions

Source: Mortal Questions

“Once we see an aspect of what we or someone else does as something that happens, we lose our grip on the idea that it has been done and that we can judge the doer and not just the happening.”

Doe Has Beens Ideas Done Happens Action Loses Moral Psychology Judging Happenings Ethics Aspect Doers

Book:Mortal Questions : Canto

Source: Mortal Questions : Canto

“Sculpture occupies real space like we do... you walk around it and relate to it almost as another person or another object.”

Persons Real Space Walks Objects Relate Sculpture Sculpting

Author:Chuck Close

“The external view [of agency] forces itself on us at the same time that we resist it. One way this occurs is through the gradual erosion of what we do by the subtraction of what happens.”

Way Happens Action Force Views Moral Psychology Ethics One Way Agency Erosion Subtraction

Book:Mortal Questions : Canto

Source: Mortal Questions : Canto

“What is left over if I subtract the fact that my arms goes up from the fact that I raise my arm?”

Ifs Facts Action Left Moral Psychology Arms Ethics Raises

Author:Ludwig Wittgenstein

“...once the cards are dealt we turn them up in turn, and make two piles each, one red, one black; the winner has the biggest pile of red ones. So once the cards are dealt the game is determined, and from any position in it you can derive all others back to the deal and forward to win or draw. ...in relation to the solar system..., the laws are like the rules of an infantile card game.... But in relation to what happens on and inside a planet the laws are, rather, like the rules of chess; the play is seldom determined, though nobody breaks the rules.”

Two Play Happens Action Law Turns Games Winning Black Deals Moral Break Psychology Position Planets Draws Ethics Red Relation Determined Chess Cards Winner Solar System Infantile

Author:G. E. M. Anscombe

“Those emotive theorists who said that the function of moral utterance was to evince emotion would... have been correct if they had substituted the indefinite for the definite article.”

Ifs Has Beens Said Action Emotion Moral Psychology Ethics Function Articles Definite Utterance Theorists

Author:Alasdair MacIntyre