Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up.
Thomas NagelRead
To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the complexity of decision-making and belief formation, suggesting there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.
Thomas Nagel's quote reflects on the multifaceted nature of ethics and epistemology, indicating that just as we cannot condense belief systems into a single framework, we also cannot simplify moral decision-making into a singular theory. The statement implies that both belief and ethical conduct are inherently complex and influenced by numerous factors, which require individual consideration rather than a universal rule.
Themes
Decision MakingBeliefEthicsTheoryComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical debate on ethics, this quote could illustrate the nuance of moral consideration.
More from Thomas Nagel
All quotes →It is prima facie highly implausible that life as we know it is the result of a sequence of physical accidents together with the mechanism of natural selection. We are supposed to abandon this naïve response, not in favor of a fully worked out physical/chemical explanation but in favor of an alternative that is really a schema for explanation, supported by some examples. What is lacking, to my knowledge, is a credible argument that the story has a nonnegligible probability of being true.
Thomas NagelRead
There is a tendency to seek an objective account of everything before admitting its reality.
Thomas NagelRead
Altruism itself depends on a recognition of the reality of other persons, and on the equivalent capacity to regard oneself as merely one individual among many.
Thomas NagelRead
Once we see an aspect of what we or someone else does as something that happens, we lose our grip on the idea that it has been done and that we can judge the doer and not just the happening.
Thomas NagelRead
The external view [of agency] forces itself on us at the same time that we resist it. One way this occurs is through the gradual erosion of what we do by the subtraction of what happens.
Thomas NagelRead
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