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The true and the approximately true are apprehended by the same faculty; it may also be noted that men have a sufficient natural instinct for what is true, and usually do arrive at the truth. Hence the man who makes a good guess at truth is likely to make a good guess at probabilities.
Aristotle
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Humans have an innate ability to discern truth and probabilities, similar to how they perceive reality.

This quote by Aristotle reflects on the human capacity to understand both absolute truth and approximations of it through the same cognitive processes. It suggests that people possess an inherent intuition for recognizing what is true, and that those who are adept at perceiving the truth are likely to excel in making educated guesses about uncertain situations, highlighting the interconnectedness of truth and probability in human thought.

Themes

TruthProbabilitiesInstinctPerceptionPhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about critical thinking in philosophy classes.

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