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
Philosophers are never quite sure what they are talking about - about what the issues really are - and so often it takes them rather a long time to recognize that someone with a somewhat different approach (or destination, or starting point) is making a contribution.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Philosophers often grapple with the complexity of issues and may take time to acknowledge differing perspectives as valuable.
This quote by Daniel Dennett highlights the uncertainty inherent in philosophical discourse. It suggests that philosophers engage with complex issues but may not always have clear answers. They often take time to recognize and appreciate contributions from others who approach problems differently, emphasizing the importance of diverse viewpoints in philosophical discussions.
Themes
PhilosophyUnderstandingContributionPerspectivesDialogue
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in academic settings.
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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.
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As every scuba diver knows, panic is your worst enemy: when it hits, your mind starts to thrash and you are likely to do something really stupid and self-destructive.
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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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