To ask the proper question is half of knowing.
Roger BaconRead
There are two modes of acquiring knowledge, namely by reasoning and experience. Reasoning draws a conclusion and makes us grant the conclusion, but does not make the conclusion certain, nor does it remove doubt so that the mind may rest on the intuition of truth, unless the mind discovers it by the path of experience.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Knowledge is best acquired through both reasoning and real-life experiences.
In this quote, Roger Bacon highlights the importance of two distinct methods of gaining knowledge: reasoning and experience. While reasoning allows us to arrive at conclusions, it does not guarantee certainty or resolve our doubts. True understanding often requires the practical insight that comes only from firsthand experiences, which solidify our comprehension and intuition about the truth.
Themes
KnowledgeReasoningExperienceUnderstandingTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a philosophy class discussion on the nature of knowledge.
More from Roger Bacon
All quotes →A man is crazy who writes a secret in any other way than one which will conceal it from the vulgar.
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The strongest arguments prove nothing so long as the conclusions are not verified by experience. Experimental science is the queen of sciences and the goal of all speculation.
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There are two modes of knowledge: through argument and through experience. Argument brings conclusions and compels us to concede them, but it does not cause certainty nor remove doubts that the mind may rest in truth, unless this is provided by experience.
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The calendar is intolerable to all wisdom, the horror of all astronomy, and a laughing stock from a mathematician's point of view.
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Mathematics is the gate and key to science.
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