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Philosophical Quotes

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Philosophical Quotes

“If you defend a behavior by arguing that people are programmed directly for it, then how do you continue to defend it if your speculation is wrong, for the behavior then becomes unnatural and worthy of condemnation. Better to stick resolutely to a philosophical position on human liberty: what free adults do with each other in their own private lives is their business alone. It need not be vindicated and must not be condemned by genetic speculation.”

People Ifs Needs Humans Life Is Liberty Position Behavior Adults Philosophical Sticks Worthy Arguing Speculation Private Life Unnatural Condemnation Vindicated

Book:Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History

Source: Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History

“Agnosticism is a perfectly respectable and tenable philosophical position; it is not dogmatic and makes no pronouncements about the ultimate truths of the universe. It remains open to evidence and persuasion; lacking faith, it nevertheless does not deride faith. Atheism, on the other hand, is as unyielding and dogmatic about religious belief as true believers are about heathens. It tries to use reason to demolish a structure that is not built upon reason.”

Source: Pieces of Eight Pa

“Philosophy's position with regard to science, which at one time could be designated with the name "theory of knowledge," has been undermined by the movement of philosophical thought itself. Philosophy was dislodged from this position by philosophy.”

Has Beens Philosophy Names Movement Position Theory Philosophical Regard One Time Theory Of Knowledge

Author:Jurgen Habermas

“In the case of all other sciences, arts, skills, and crafts, everyone is convinced that a complex and laborious programme of learning and practice is necessary for competence. Yet when it comes to philosophy, there seems to be a currently prevailing prejudice to the effect that, although not everyone who has eyes and fingers, and is given leather and last, is at once in a position to make shoes, everyone nevertheless immediately understands how to philosophize.”

Source: Phenomenology of Spirit

“My position is a naturalistic one; I see philosophy not as an a priori propaedeutic or groundwork for science, but as continuous with science. I see philosophy and science as in the same boat--a boat which, to revert to Neurath's figure as I so often do, we can rebuild only at sea while staying afloat in it. There is no external vantage point, no first philosophy.”

Firsts Philosophy Sea Figures Position Philosophical Boat Staying Naturalism Vantage Point Groundwork

Author:Willard Van Orman Quine

“Although I felt I was quite good at criticising a philosophical position, I was not very good at defending and making a case for a philosophical position.”

Felt Cases Position Philosophical Very Good

Author:Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra

“[This approach] displays the characteristic philosophical lust to vanquish the skeptic by arguing him out of his skepticism, without appeal to moral and political considerations or to the facts of everyday life. [...] But more often than not, if you give the skeptic everything he wants, then he will be successful in repulsing your attacks and terrorizing your position.”

“One influential philosophical position about the use of probability in science holds that probabilities are objective only if they are based on micro-physics; all other probabilities should be interpreted subjectively, as merely revealing our ignorance about physical details. I have argued against this position, contending that the objectivity of micro-physical probabilities entails the objectivity of macro-probabilities.”

Ifs Should Use Position Ignorance Philosophical Details Physics Objectives Probability Revealing Influential Objectivity Contending Macro

Author:Elliott Sober

“Not a physical migration, but a cultural, psychological, philosophical migration back to Africa, which means the restoring our common bond will give us the spiritual strength and the incentive to strengthen our political and social and economic position right here in America, and to fight for the things that are ours by right here on this continent.”

Giving Mean America Spiritual Political Fighting Social Common Economic Position Philosophical Psychological Continents Incentives Migration Restoring Spiritual Strength

Author:Malcolm X

“First would be the literary side, then the spiritual and philosophical. The political side is required principally because of the necessity of the current Russian position.”

Firsts Would Be Spiritual Political Sides Position Philosophical Currents

Author:Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“To the extent that philosophical positions both confuse us and close doors to further inquiry, they are likely to be wrong.”

Doors Position Philosophical Inquiry

Author:E. O. Wilson

“The only good reason to embrace a philosophical position is that you are convinced it is true or at least makes sense of the world better than the alternatives.”

World Reason Position Philosophical Embrace Convinced Alternatives Make Sense

Author:Julian Baggini

“Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex.”

Social Sex Progress Position Female Philosophical Injustice Social Progress

Author:Karl Marx