Famous and misunderstood philosophical quotations

Most people get acquainted with philosophy through quotes from famous authors: Socrates, Aristotle, Kant, and Nietzsche. Knowledge is generally limited to this, which is neither good nor bad. The world does not need 8 billion philosophers, thinkers, or speakers. Someone has to do the real work. However, wanting to feel a sense of belonging to the great and eternal, users of social networks drag wisdom through their pages.

As a result, we see how quotations taken out of context lose their original meaning, sometimes turning into an incomprehensible set of words. There are many similar examples. The situation is the same as with the inappropriate use of slang or catchphrases, the meaning of which a person does not understand, although he is sure of the opposite. Today, we will return the context to some phrases of famous thinkers.

5 famous and misunderstood philosophical quotations

1. William Ocham: “You shouldn’t multiply entities unnecessarily”

This is undoubtedly the most popular philosophical razor, although there are others, such as Hanlon’s razor and Hitchens’ razor. The modern interpretation of William of Ockham’s method says that if an event has several explanations, you should choose the simplest one. It will probably be the closest to the truth. Thus, simplification is equated with the truth, which is entirely wrong. The point here is not the author’s outdated logic or misconceptions. Occam’s razor was never intended for the real world, remaining a tool for philosophical and religious debate for centuries.

William Occam was primarily a Catholic theologian and only later a writer, logician, and philosopher. The 13th century was a time of angelology and other metaphysics. The brightest and most unconditionally authoritative minds argued about which entities control our world. Dan Scott described ten such metaphysical entities (counting the Gods), which is far from the limit.

A Little later, William Chillingworth will ask an ironic question: how many angels can dance on a pinhead? You can think of at least a million angels, demons, and other guides of a higher power. But it doesn’t make any sense. Increasing the number of entities complicates everything but does not bring the discovery of the truth any closer.

That was the original context. If you take Occam’s quote as a guide to living in the real world, you’re unlikely to discover any secrets. This will be more likely another reason not to think and analyze. However, the razor does an excellent job with conspiracy theories.

2. Marx: “Capitalism is an absolute evil”

This is not a direct quote but an idea that Karl Marx is associated with. After reviewing Capital’s slogans and brief contents, one sees that Marx was the most ardent anti-capitalist, ready to burn banks and lead people to the barricades. However, this image is very far from reality. Of course, Marx was not a proponent of capitalism, but he perceived it as one of the stages in the development of society. Once we came to feudalism. This system of relationships was far from ideal, but more progressive than the primitive communal system. History repeated itself, and the subsequent transition occurred at the end of the 18th century.

Comparable to the state treasury. However, the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” contains positive assessments. No one could deny the explosive growth of industry, the general improvement of well-being, the development of science, the strengthening of the rule of law, and international trade. Special hopes were pinned on the latter. It was a trade that was supposed to end wars, which sounds ridiculous if you live in the 21st century. It was evident to Marx that capitalism was unfair.

Loud speeches about the shameless exploitation of the working masses and the unjustified enrichment of privileged units evidence this. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. Nevertheless, capitalism was perceived as a necessary evil—a stage that one must go through. Humanist philosophers and revolutionary economists aimed to speed up the process and mitigate the negative effects.

3. Rousseau: “The Noble Savage”

This is the name of the archetype of a literary character, which became especially popular during the Enlightenment. Jean-Jacques Rousseau is considered one of the most important proponents of the concept. Sometimes, the copyright for “noble savages” is attributed to him altogether. Rousseau’s idea is that people developed science, built cities, and began to call themselves civilized, but simultaneously, they lost their human face.

According to the philosopher, this is an unnatural state, and before the “invention” of civilization, we were naturally virtuous. Otherwise, the species would not have been able to survive. The idea is not devoid of logic, but it is worth returning to the context. Firstly, we are talking about the era of colonialism, when, hiding behind the “burden of the white man,” representatives of European nations did terrible things.

Compared to their background, the enslaved savages looked more noble. In the modern world, this concept is very outdated and contains signs of racism. The concepts of virtues and vices developed with civilization. Before that, moral values and morality could not exist.

4. Descartes: “I think, therefore I exist”

Sometimes, the interpretation of this quote distorts the original meaning beyond recognition. Business and success coaches refer to Descartes, arguing that thought is material. Who would dare to say with two authorities at once? If you want something, then the universe will give it to you. I didn’t like it badly enough if it didn’t work out.

Some believe that this is how Descartes divided people into real people who think independently and those who do not bother to think and, therefore, do not exist. In fact, the quote should be taken almost literally — it is directed at the speaker. Rene Descartes considers this statement a primary certainty, a truth beyond doubt. This point is a pillar from which you can build a chain of reliable knowledge.

5. Nietzsche: “God is dead!”

An ambiguous statement can be interpreted in any way — it all depends on the reader’s imagination and views. Anyone familiar with Nietzsche’s writings is assumed to know what the full quote sounds like in philosophical circles. Let’s turn to her: “God is dead! God will not rise again! And we killed him! How can we be comforted, murderers of murderers? The holiest and most powerful being in the world has bled to death under our knives—who will wash this blood off us?” Declaring the death of a God is not like the exultation of a hero who killed a dragon.

And, of course, we are not talking about a triumphant atheist who is boarding up the doors of a church. It’s more like a mournful whisper before the grave of the deceased. Come closer; look who’s being buried. Humanity itself is devoted to the earth. Faith is lost, and morality is discarded. The existence of civilization, peace, and cosmic order is not guaranteed.

We humans have done all this using science, culture, and creativity. This quote does not refer to God from Christianity, Islam, or any other religion. We are discussing reorientation in a new world where personal gain and ambition have become the primary virtues when holy things and other moral guidelines are recognized as archaisms.