Herbert A. Simon Quotes

The very essence of rationalism is that it assumes that the reason is the highest faculty in man and the lord of all the rest.

Everything must justify its existence before the judgment seat of Reason, or give up existence.

All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.

Aristotle: that celebrated heathen, who, in all matters wherein heathenism did not destroy his competence, had established a despotic empire over the Christian world.

All reasoning ends in an appeal to self-evidence.

Logic works, metaphysics contemplates.

Many scientists think that philosophy has no place, so for me it's a sad time because the role of reflection, contemplation, meditation, self inquiry, insight, intuition, imagination, creativity, free will, is in a way not given any importance, which is the domain of philosophers.

I am aware that a philosopher's ideas are not subject to the judgment of ordinary persons, because it is his endeavour to seek the truth in all things, to the extent permitted to human reason by God.

I will live by the standard of reason, and if thinking in accordance with reason takes me to perdition, then I will go to hell with my reason rather than to heaven without it.

Human knowledge is dark and uncertain; philosophy is dark, astrology is dark, and geometry is dark.

My reason nourishes my faith and my faith my reason.

If children understand that beliefs should be substantiated with evidence, as opposed to tradition, authority, revelation or faith, they will automatically work out for themselves that they are atheists.

Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous.

The logic of validation allows us to move between the two limits of dogmatism and skepticism.

Those who invalidate reason ought seriously to consider whether they argue against reason with or without reason.

It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.

Philosophy is the product of wonder.

Logic is not a body of doctrine, but a mirror-image of the world. Logic is transcendental.

Knowledge consists in understanding the evidence that establishes the fact, not in the belief that it is a fact.

By free-thinking I mean the use of the understanding in endeavoring to find out the meaning of any proposition whatsoever, in considering the nature of the evidence for or against it, and in judging of it according to the seeming force or weakness of the evidence.

Knowledge is justified belief.

Everything is reason. If you don't have reason, you have nothing.

Philosophy is explicitness, generality, orientation and assessment. That which one would insinuate, thereof one must speak.

Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've already lost the argument, because you're using reason to make your case. ... We don't "believe" in reason.

Reason is simply a vast tautology.