We can come to look upon the deaths of our enemies with as much regret as we feel for those of our friends, namely, when we miss their existence as witnesses to our success.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
The principle of contradiction establishes merely the agreement of concepts, but does not itself produce concepts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights that while the principle of contradiction helps confirm the validity of concepts, it does not create new ideas or concepts on its own.
Arthur Schopenhauer's quote suggests that the principle of contradiction, a foundational aspect of logic, serves to support the coherence of our concepts rather than generate them. It emphasizes the distinction between validating existing ideas and the creative process of forming new concepts, pointing to a limitation in how logic can inform our understanding of knowledge and reality.
Themes
PrincipleContradictionPhilosophyLogicConcepts
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate, when discussing the nature of certainty and knowledge.
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We will gradually become indifferent to what goes on in the minds of other people when we acquire a knowledge of the superficial nature of their thoughts, the narrowness of their views and of the number of their errors. Whoever attaches a lot of value to the opinions of others pays them too much honor.
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