Whatever government is not a government of laws, is a despotism, let it be called what it may.
Daniel WebsterRead
As so often happens in philosophy, clever people accept a false general principle on a priori grounds and then devote endless labour and ingenuity to explaining away plain facts which obviously conflict with it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Clever individuals sometimes accept flawed theories and work tirelessly to justify them, despite contrary evidence.
C. D. Broad highlights a common issue in philosophical thinking, where intelligent individuals may latch onto certain flawed generalizations or principles without sufficient evidence and then go to great lengths to rationalize them. This behavior often leads to the dismissal of clear, observable facts that contradict their preconceived notions, showcasing a disconnect between theory and reality.
Themes
PhilosophyTruthKnowledgeRationalizationEvidence
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on the philosophy of science, this quote can emphasize the importance of grounding theories in observable facts.
Similar quotes
If you spend enough time around something like baboons, you start to look at humans differently.
Robert SapolskyRead
A southern moon is a sodden moon, and sultry. When it swamps the fields and the rustling sandy roads and the sticky honeysuckle hedges in its sweet stagnation, your fight to hold on to reality is like a protestation against a first waft of ether.
Zelda FitzgeraldRead
I have never conceived that having been in public life required me to belie my sentiments, or to conceal them. Opinion and the just maintenance of it shall never be a crime in my view, nor bring injury on the individual. I never will by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance. I never had an opinion in politics or religion which I was afraid to own; a reserve on these subjects might have procured me more esteem from some people, but less from myself.
Thomas JeffersonRead
We raise our voices in holy gladness to celebrate the victory of the risen Christ over the terrible forces of death.
Nelson MandelaRead
It is an anxious, sometimes a dangerous thing to be a doll. Dolls cannot choose; they can only be chosen; they cannot 'do'; they can only be done by.
Rumer GoddenRead