Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up.
Thomas NagelRead
To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the complexity of decision-making and belief formation, suggesting there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.
Thomas Nagel's quote reflects on the multifaceted nature of ethics and epistemology, indicating that just as we cannot condense belief systems into a single framework, we also cannot simplify moral decision-making into a singular theory. The statement implies that both belief and ethical conduct are inherently complex and influenced by numerous factors, which require individual consideration rather than a universal rule.
Themes
Decision MakingBeliefEthicsTheoryComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate on ethics, this quote could illustrate the nuance of moral consideration.
More from Thomas Nagel
All quotes βIt is prima facie highly implausible that life as we know it is the result of a sequence of physical accidents together with the mechanism of natural selection. We are supposed to abandon this naΓ―ve response, not in favor of a fully worked out physical/chemical explanation but in favor of an alternative that is really a schema for explanation, supported by some examples. What is lacking, to my knowledge, is a credible argument that the story has a nonnegligible probability of being true.
Thomas NagelRead
There is a tendency to seek an objective account of everything before admitting its reality.
Thomas NagelRead
Altruism itself depends on a recognition of the reality of other persons, and on the equivalent capacity to regard oneself as merely one individual among many.
Thomas NagelRead
Once we see an aspect of what we or someone else does as something that happens, we lose our grip on the idea that it has been done and that we can judge the doer and not just the happening.
Thomas NagelRead
The external view [of agency] forces itself on us at the same time that we resist it. One way this occurs is through the gradual erosion of what we do by the subtraction of what happens.
Thomas NagelRead
Similar quotes
No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history.
William HazlittRead
Above all, remember that God looks for solid virtues in us, such as patience, humility, obedience, abnegation of your own will - that is, the good will to serve Him and our neighbor in Him. His providence allows us other devotions only insofar as He sees that they are useful to us.
Saint IgnatiusRead
When you achieve equality, and freedom, and fairness, it's not because I grant it to you. It's because you fought for it because it is your right. This is not about benevolence or charity; it is about every human being's God-given right.
Kamala HarrisRead
It is our task to inquire into the causes that have brought about the observed differentiation, and to investigate the sequence of events that have led to the establishment of the multifarious forms of human life
Franz BoasRead
My aim is to show that those governments that violate the rights of people by invoking the name of Islam have been misusing Islam.
Shirin EbadiRead
What is this talked-of mystery of birth. But being mounted bareback on the earth?
Robert FrostRead