The Greeks possessed a knowledge of human nature we seem hardly able to attain to without passing through the strengthening hibernation of a new barbarism.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
Much reading has brought upon us a learned barbarism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that excessive reading can lead to a superficial understanding of knowledge.
Georg C. Lichtenberg's quote implies that while reading is an essential source of knowledge, an overindulgence can result in a lack of true comprehension and critical thinking, leading to a form of intellectual barbarism where one may possess knowledge without the wisdom to apply it effectively. It serves as a caution against complacency in learning solely through books without engaging in deeper discussions or practical experiences.
Themes
ReadingKnowledgeWisdomUnderstandingComprehension
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of critical thinking in education, this quote can be included to illustrate the dangers of passive learning.
More from Georg C. Lichtenberg
All quotes βMany things about our bodies would not seem to us so filthy and obscene if we did not have the idea of nobility in our heads.
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Astronomy is perhaps the science whose discoveries owe least to chance, in which human understanding appears in its whole magnitude, and through which man can best learn how small he is.
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The thoughts written on the walls of madhouses by their inmates might be worth publicizing.
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The noble simplicity in the works of nature only too often originates in the noble shortsightedness of him who observes it.
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Food probably has a very great influence on the condition of men. Wine exercises a more visible influence, food does it more slowly but perhaps just as surely. Who knows if a well-prepared soup was not responsible for the pneumatic pump or a poor one for a war?
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