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The philosopher is not a citizen of any community of ideas, that is what makes him a philosopher.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A philosopher's uniqueness lies in their independence from conventional ideas and communities.

This quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein emphasizes that true philosophers do not confine themselves to prevailing thoughts or beliefs within specific communities. Instead, their role is to question, explore, and develop unique perspectives that may challenge societal norms, reflecting their deeper understanding of ideas beyond established dogmas.

Themes

PhilosophyIndependenceIdeasThinkingCommunity

In practice

Example use cases

In a lecture about the role of philosophers in society.

More from Ludwig Wittgenstein

If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.
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One cannot guess how a word functions. One has to look at its use and learn from that. But the difficulty is to remove the prejudice which stands in the way of doing this. It is not a stupid prejudice.
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No one likes having offended another person; hence everyone feels so much better if the other person doesn't show he's been offended. Nobody likes being confronted by a wounded spaniel. Remember that. It is much easier patiently - and tolerantly - to avoid the person you have injured than to approach him as a friend. You need courage for that.
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It's impossible for me to say one word about all that music has meant to me in my life. How, then, can I hope to be understood?
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Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.
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My day passes between logic, whistling, going for walks, and being depressed. I wish to God that I were more intelligent and everything would finally become clear to me - or else that I needn't live much longer.
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