All practical teachers know that education is a patient process of mastery of details, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day.
Alfred North WhiteheadRead
...the self-satisfied dogmatism with which mankind at each period of its history cherishes the delusion of the finality of existing modes of knowledge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques humanity's tendency to be overly certain about their current understanding of knowledge.
Alfred North Whitehead emphasizes the danger of self-satisfied dogmatism, highlighting how humans often mistakenly believe that their current knowledge is the ultimate truth. This attitude hinders progress and understanding, as it fosters a reluctance to question and explore new ideas or perspectives that may lead to growth and development in knowledge.
Themes
KnowledgeDogmatismHumankindPhilosophyUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about educational reform, someone might use this quote to highlight the importance of adapting knowledge to new circumstances.
More from Alfred North Whitehead
All quotes βThe vitality of thought is in adventure. Idea's won't keep. Something must be done about them. When the idea is new, its custodians have fervour, live for it, and, if need be, die for it. Their inheritors receive the idea, perhaps now strong and successful, but without inheriting the fervour; so the idea settles down to a comfortable middle age, turns senile, and dies.
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The guiding motto in the life of every natural philosopher should be, seek simplicity and distrust it.
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As society is now constituted, a literal adherence to the moral precepts scattered throughout the Gospels would mean sudden death.
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I consider Christianity to be one of the great disasters of the human race... It would be impossible to imagine anything more un - Christianlike than theology.
Alfred North WhiteheadRead
Inventive genius requires pleasurable mental activity as a condition for its vigorous exercise. "Necessity is the mother of invention" is a silly proverb. "Necessity is the mother of futile dodges" is much closer to the truth. The basis of growth of modern invention is science, and science is almost wholly the outgrowth of pleasurable intellectual curiosity.
Alfred North WhiteheadRead
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