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Quote by Otto von Bismarck

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Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck was a German statesman and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prussia. He is known for his realpolitik and his role in the unification of Germany in the late 19th century. Bismarck's policies and leadership were instrumental in the creation of the German Empire and his diplomatic efforts helped maintain peace in Europe. more

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“In the nine years since [Robert] Harris’s novel [Conclave] was published our culture has, if anything, become more enamored with certainty, not less — which is really saying something. Ours is a culture, a society, that seems fantastically certain of certainty. Certainty rules our political discourse, an our-side-is-right-the-other-side-wrong absolutism that the internet helps to empower. As Warzel and Caulfield lamented in The Atlantic recently, ours is a culture “where every event — every human success or tragedy — becomes little more than evidence to score political points... It is a culture where you never have to change your mind or even confront uncomfortable information.” You don’t need to be Wittgenstein to recognize that certainty as a habit of the mind, as an epistemological reflex, ain’t been doing us any favors — not at the level of the individual or the society. Certainty is a state of final judgment — one might even say terminal judgment. Certainty is the opposite of curiosity and open-ness, and about the worst form of knowing there is because it brooks no discussion, no amelioration, no correction, no testing.”

ComfortJudgmentCertaintyDiscomfortAbsolutismRobert HarrisConclave
Author:Junot Díaz
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