It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
It is possible to be a master in false philosophy, easier, in fact, than to be a master in the truth, because a false philosophy can be made as simple and consistent as one pleases.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mastering false ideas is often easier than mastering the truth because falsehoods can be easily simplified.
In this quote, George Santayana highlights the ease with which one can attain mastery over false philosophies compared to the complexities of true knowledge. He suggests that while false philosophies can be crafted to be simple and cohesive, the truth is often more intricate and demands greater effort and understanding to grasp and apply.
Themes
PhilosophyTruthFalsehoodKnowledgeMastery
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy seminar when discussing the nature of truth.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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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