Philosophy aims at the logical clarification of thoughts. Philosophy is not a body of doctrine but an activity. A philosophical work consists essentially of elucidations.
Though boys throw stones at frogs in sport, the frogs do not die in sport, but in earnest.
I only know one thing, and that is I know nothing
Some friendships in life sustain themselves only at a particular life stage, products of some mutual developmental problem to be resolved together, or of some external circumstance, like being housed in the same dormitory in boarding school. Others grow out of a deeper spiritual and philosophical affinity, which continues throughout life.
It is clear that friendship is by and large crucial to human life. And I believe, in contrast with most of the philosophical tradition deriving from Aristotle, that it is not limited to a very few perfect individuals.
Thinking in terms of risk certainly has its unsettling aspects (. . . ), but it is also a means of seeking to stabilise outcomes, a mode of colonising the future. The more or less constant, profound and rapid momentum of change characteristic of modern institutions, coupled with structured reflexivity, mean that on the level of everyday practice as well as philosophical [Seitenwechsel] interpretation, nothing can be taken for granted. What is acceptableappropriaterecommended behaviour today may be seen differently tomorrow in the light of altered circumstances or incoming knowledge-claims.
The chief philosophical value of physics is that it gives the mind something distinct to lay hold of, which, if you don't, Nature at once tells you you are wrong.
Oh, a very useful philosophical animal, your average tortoise. Outrunning metaphorical arrows, beating hares in races. . . very handy.
Poetry is essentially the antithesis of Metaphysics: Metaphysics purge the mind of the senses and cultivate the disembodiment of the spiritual; Poetry is all passionate and feeling and animates the inanimate; Metaphysics are most perfect when concerned with universals; Poetry, when most concerned with particulars.
The greatest sci-fis, in my mind, are two things: They're what-ifs - what if this happened, and you get to see it - but they're also these philosophical cautionary tales. They deal with the underlying themes beneath the what-if.
I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them.
When I experienced altered states of consciousness, my whole philosophical structure crumbled, and that terrified me. And what scared me the most was the realisation that death was not the end!
I shall assume that your silence gives consent.
When you are aspiring to the highest place, it is honorable to reach the second or even the third rank.
The philosophical conservative is someone willing to pay the price of other people s suffering for his principles.
The aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one.
Scientists themselves are of surprisingly little help. They find it difficult to talk of what they do because they tend to assume detailed knowledge is required for generalities to be understood. They find it hard to grasp the concept of the meaning of their work, assuming this to be a debate that takes place at a lower level than the specialized discussions with their colleagues. When they do generalize, - or "popularize" as it is usually called with a noticeable degree of contempt - they tend to reveal a startling philosophical naiveté.
World history is a court of judgment.
Where all is but dream, reasoning and arguments are of no use, truth and knowledge nothing.
The sense of historical continuity, and a feeling for philosophical rectitude cannot, however, be compromised.
