It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
Philosophers are very severe towards other philosophers because they expect too much.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Philosophers critique each other harshly due to their high expectations of one another's reasoning and insights.
In this quote, George Santayana highlights the rigorous nature of philosophical discourse, suggesting that philosophers hold one another to incredibly high standards. This expectation can lead to severe judgments, as each philosopher strives for intellectual rigor and clarity, often becoming overly critical of peers when those standards are not met.
Themes
PhilosophyCritiqueExpectationUnderstandingDiscourse
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of philosophical inquiry, one could reference this quote to illustrate the challenges philosophers face in their dialogues.
More from George Santayana
All quotes →The working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
George SantayanaRead
There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. The dark background which death supplies brings out the tender colours of life in all their purity.
George SantayanaRead
Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
George SantayanaRead
To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
George SantayanaRead
The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
George SantayanaRead
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