Top 25 Quotes by Simon Blackburn of 34 - Page 2

Finding a mechanism does not bypass the problem of induction.

Finding a mechanism does not bypass the problem of induction.

Doe, Bypass, Problem

Simon Blackburn (1999). “Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy”, p.155, Oxford University Press

The scientific world is to be less threatening than was feared. It is to made safe for human beings. And the way to make it safe is to reflect on the foundation of knowledge.

Simon Blackburn

Foundation, World, Safe

Simon Blackburn (1999). “Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy”, p.15, Oxford University Press

The absolutist lays down the law, but the relativist hears only roaring and bawling. Or, when the relativist voice, as it is heard from philosophers such as Nietzsche or James, itself starts to grate and sounds shrill, as it often does, and when the relativist then offers concessions, the absolutist hears only insincerity. The war of words can often turn into a dialogue of the deaf, and this too if part of its power to arouse outrage and fury.

Simon Blackburn

War, Law, Voice

Simon Blackburn (2006). “Truth: A Guide for the Perplexed: A Guide for the Perplexed”, p.20, Penguin UK

Wittgenstein imagined that the philosopher was like a therapist whose task was to put problems finally to rest, and to cure us ofbeing bewitched by them. So we are told to stop, to shut off lines of inquiry, not to find things puzzling nor to seek explanations. This is intellectual suicide.

Simon Blackburn

Suicide, Philosophical, Intellectual

Simon Blackburn (1993). “Essays in Quasi-Realism”, p.51, Oxford University Press

Respect, of course is a tricky term. I may respect your gardening by just letting you get on with it. Or, I may respect it by admiring it and regarding it as a superior way to garden.

Simon Blackburn

Garden, May, Way

It is sometimes said that one of the casualties of the general suspicion and mistrust that permeated the old Soviet Union was that the distinction between truth and other motivations to believe tended to break down. Upon hearing a purported piece of information, the reaction was not 'Is this true?' but 'Why is this person saying this? - What machinations or manipulations are going on here?' The question of truth did not, as it were, have the social space in which it could breath.

Simon Blackburn

Motivation, Believe, Space

The absolutist takes himself to read nature in her very own language, but the relativist insists that nature does not speak, and we hear only what we have elected to hear.

Simon Blackburn

Doe, Absolutism, Language

Simon Blackburn (2005). “Truth: A Guide”, p.15, Oxford University Press