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March 6, 2008
the right attitude in philosophy
The right attitude in philosophy is to accept aims that we can achieve only fractionally and imperfectly, and cannot be sure of achieving even to that extent. It means in particular not abandoning the pursuit of truth, even though if you want the truth rather than merely something to say, you will have a good deal less to say. Pursuit of the truth requires more than imagination: it requires the generation and decisive elimination of alternative possibilities until, ideally, only one remains, and it requires a habitual readiness to attack one’s own convictions. That is the only way real belief can be arrived at.
Thomas Nagel - The View From Nowhere
Posted by amin at March 6, 2008 11:41 AM