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Philosophy Quotes

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Philosophy Quotes

“I published only in academic journals in philosophy until I was in my 40s, but I had been writing fiction and poetry my whole adult life - without ever once trying to publish it, and rarely letting anyone read it.”

Writing Trying Philosophy Whole Fiction Adults Academic Journal Publish Writing Fiction

Author:Cheryl Mendelson

“How I understand the philosopher - as a terrible explosive, endangering everthing... my concept of the philosopher is worlds removed from any concept that would include even a Kant, not to speak of academic "ruminants" and other professors of philosophy.”

World Philosophy Speak Terrible Concepts Philosopher Professors Academic Explosives

Author:Friedrich Nietzsche

“BERTRAND RUSSELL, The Philosophy of Logical Atomism We've associated that word philosophy with academic study that in its own way has gotten so far beyond the layman that if you read contemporary philosophy you've no clue, because it's almost become math. And it's odd that if you don't do that and you call yourself a philosopher that you always get 'homespun' attached to it.”

Ifs Way Philosophy Study Philosopher Math Contemporary Odd Logical Academic Clue Layman

Author:Bertrand Russell

“Nothing ought to be said or done which could create the impression that unbiased reconsideration of the most elementary premises of philosophy is a merely academic or historical affair.”

Said Done Philosophy Ought Historical Affair Impression Academic Premises Unbiased Reconsideration

Book:Natural Right and History

Source: Natural Right and History

“What man needs is not philosophy or religion in the academic or formalistic sense of the term, but ability to think rightly. The malady of the age is not absence of philosophy or even irreligion but wrong thinking and a vanity which passes for knowledge. Though it is difficult to define right thinking, it cannot be denied that it is the goal of the aspirations of everyone.”

Thinking Men Needs Philosophy Age Difficult Goal Term Ability Absence Vanity Aspiration Denied Academic Malady Irreligion Wrong Thinking

Author:Krishnananda Saraswati

“The music and the philosophy feed off of one another on a subconscious level, though I've never really integrated my academic teaching into songwriting. But what they have in common is that they're both ways to tap into the mysterious parts of our world.”

World Way Philosophy Levels Common Teaching Mysterious Songwriting Our World Academic Subconscious Integrated

Author:Steve Weinstein

“The academic world doesn't invite you to try to walk on two feet all the time. And in philosophy especially . . . it's a very intimidating place. The intimidation can be very thin, or it can stop you.”

World Trying Two Philosophy Walks Feet Invites Academic Intimidating Intimidation

Author:Stanley Cavell

“The refusal to belong to any school of thought, the repudiation of the adequacy of any body of beliefs whatever, and especially of systems, and a marked dissatisfaction with traditional philosophy as superficial, academic, and remote from life-that is the heart of existentialism.”

Heart Philosophy Body School Belief Traditional Existentialism Academic Superficial Refusal Dissatisfaction Adequacy

Book:Existentialism From Dostoevsky To Sartre

Source: Existentialism From Dostoevsky To Sartre

“I think that when people are at their best, when they are thinking, reflecting, cogitating, then they are doing philosophy. So I don't see philosophy as an academic enterprise.”

People Thinking Philosophy Enterprise Academic Reflecting

Author:Simon Critchley

“[F]or academic men to be happy, the universe would have to take shape. All of philosophy has no other goal: it is a matter of giving a frock coat to what is, a mathematical frock coat. On the other hand, affirming that the universe resembles nothing and is only formless amounts to saying that the universe is something like a spider or spit.”

Men Giving Matter Philosophy Hands Universe Goal Amount Shapes Mathematical Academic Coats Spiders Spit Affirming

Book:Visions of Excess: Selected Writings, 1927-1939

Source: Visions of Excess: Selected Writings, 1927-1939

“Academic environments are generally characterised by the presence of peole who claim to understand more than in fact they do. Linguistic Philosophy has produced a great revolution, generating people who claim not to understand when in fact they do. Some achieve great virtuosity at it. Any beginner in philosophy can manage not to understand, say, Hegel, but I have heard people who were so advanced that they knew how not to understand writers of such limpid clarity as Bertrand Russell or A.J. Ayer.”

People Philosophy Facts Environment Heard Achieve Revolution Claims Clarity Manage Academic Beginners Hegel Virtuosity

Author:Ernest Gellner

“In the mid-1960s, as hard to believe as it may be now, choosing to go into academic philosophy was not an imprudent career choice. There were lots of academic jobs in philosophy then.”

Believe May Hard Philosophy Jobs Choices Careers Academic 1960s Hard To Believe Careers Choices

Author:Allen W. Wood