We need to let our children grow up to face the world armed with knowledge, with much more knowledge than we ourselves had at their age. It is scary, but the alternative is worse.
Daniel DennettRead
Some philosophers can't bear to say simple things, like "Suppose a dog bites a man." They feel obliged instead to say, "Suppose a dog d bites a man m at time t," thereby demonstrating their unshakable commitment to logical rigor, even though they don't go on to manipulate any formulae involving d, m, and t.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Philosophers may complicate simple statements to showcase their rigor, often making communication less clear.
In this quote, Daniel Dennett critiques certain philosophers who tend to overcomplicate straightforward ideas by introducing unnecessary jargon and formalism. He highlights how their commitment to logical precision can sometimes obscure the essence of communication, making it difficult for others to understand fundamental concepts. This suggests a cautionary note about the balance between rigor and clarity in philosophical discourse.
Themes
PhilosophySimplicityCommunicationClarityRigor
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about effective communication, one might use this quote to discuss the importance of clarity.
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If the concept of consciousness were to fall to science, what would happen to our sense of moral agency and free will? If conscious experience were reduced somehow to mere matter in motion, what would happen to our appreciation of love and pain and dreams and joy? If conscious human beings were just animated material objects, how could anything we do to them be right or wrong?
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