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Theory Quotes

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Theory Quotes

“The cumulative effect of the Romantic theory of creativity, as played out in the context of belief in the virtue of the avant-garde, is that while the art world has effectively freed itself from the tyranny of artistic tradition and its historic patronage system, it has ended up inhabiting an autonomous but perceived irrelevance.”

World Art Culture Belief Christianity Creativity Virtue Effects Theory Tradition Tyranny Artistic Historic Art World Avant Garde Autonomous Cumulative Patronage Irrelevance

Author:John Walford

“Leave your theories. All theories, you see, even those of virtue, are bad, foolish, mischievous.”

Virtue Theory Foolish Mischievous

Book:John Christopher: Storm and Stress

Source: John Christopher: Storm and Stress

“The degree of confirmation assigned to any given hypothesis is sensitive to properties of the entire belief system... simplicity, plausibility, and conservatism are properties that theories have in virtue of their relation to the whole structure of scientific beliefs taken collectively. A measure of conservatism or simplicity would be a metric over global properties of belief systems.”

Whole Would Be Belief Given Virtue Taken Theory Degrees Relation Structure Property Simplicity Sensitive Hypothesis Conservatism Belief Systems Confirmation Metrics

Author:Jerry Fodor

“The morals of men are more governed by their pursuits than by their opinions. A type of virtue is first formed by circumstances, and men afterwards make it the model upon which their theories are framed.”

Men Firsts Moral Opinion Virtue Theory Type Circumstances Models Pursuit Framed

Book:History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne

Source: History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne

“As the Prussian historian Treitschke later complained, the proponents of free trade in Hamburg had 'in German fashion made out of necessity not just a virtue but a theory'.”

Made Virtue Fashion Theory Trade Historian Free Trade

Author:Richard J. Evans

“Disruptive technology is a theory. It says this will happen and this is why; it's a statement of cause and effect. In our teaching we have so exalted the virtues of data-driven decision making that in many ways we condemn managers only to be able to take action after the data is clear and the game is over. In many ways a good theory is more accurate than data. It allows you to see into the future more clearly.”

“Arguably, if you view a real barn in bright sunlight and close by, while fully alert and otherwise in good shape, then you do know whether or not you see a barn. You have "animal" knowledge, says my virtue theory, through the first-order aptness of your judgment.”

Ifs Knows Firsts Real Order Animal Views Virtue Theory Shapes Judgment Sunlight Barns

Author:Ernest Sosa

“Kantian ethical theory distinguishes three levels: First, that of a fundamental principle (the categorical imperative, formulated in three main ways in Kant's Groundwork); second, a set of duties, not deduced from but derived from this principle, by way of its interpretation or specification, its application to the general conditions of human life - which Kant does in the Doctrine of virtue, the second main part of the Metaphysics of Morals; and then finally an act of judgment, through which these duties are applied to particular cases.”

“Moral theory develops from the divine command theory of medieval Christian philosophy, mixed up with a bit of ancient pagan virtue theory, to the purely secular moral sentiment and interpersonal reaction theories of Smith and Hume, to Kant's attempt to restore command theory but with something supersensible in the individual rather than God as the source of authority.”

Philosophy Christian Individual Bits Moral Virtue Divine Theory Source Authority Ancient Reactions Command Sentiments Secular Medieval Pagan Interpersonal Hume Christian Philosophy

Author:Catherine Wilson

“The theory of natural selection reduces to a banal truth: if a kind of creature flourishes in a kind of situation, then there must be something about such creatures (or about such situations, or about both) in virtue of which it does so.”

Ifs Kind Doe Natural Situation Virtue Theory Creatures Selection Natural Selection

Author:Jerry Fodor

“Some philosophers think that the idea of a consequentialist virtue theory is strange, but the real strength of consequentialism is that it can emulate the requirements of other moral theories when it is the case that acting on those theories would improve the world.”

Thinking World Ideas Real Acting Moral Cases Virtue Strange Theory Philosopher Requirements Emulate Real Strength Consequentialism

Author:Dale Jamieson