The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.
Rene DescartesRead
Whatever I have up till now accepted as most true and assured I have gotten either from the senses or through the senses. But from time to time I have found that the senses deceive, and it is prudent never to trust completely those who have deceived us even once.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of skepticism towards our senses and the information we receive through them.
René Descartes emphasizes the idea that while our senses provide us with information about the world, they can often be misleading. He advocates for a cautious approach to accepting what we perceive, suggesting that if something has deceived us once, we should be wary of trusting it entirely in the future. This reflects a fundamental philosophical inquiry into the nature of knowledge and belief.
Themes
SensesDeceptionTruthSkepticismKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussing the reliability of sensory perception.
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Mathematics is a more powerful instrument of knowledge than any other that has been bequeathed to us by human agency.
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Before examining this more carefully and investigating its consequences, I want to dwell for a moment in the contemplation of God, to ponder His attributes in me, to see, admire, and adore the beauty of His boundless light, insofar as my clouded insight allows. Believing that the supreme happiness of the other life consists wholly of the contemplation of divine greatness, I now find that through less perfect contemplation of the same sort I can gain the greatest joy available in this life.
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I am accustomed to sleep and in my dreams to imagine the same things that lunatics imagine when awake.
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The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues.
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