Iris Murdoch Quotes

For the things of this world cannot be made known without a knowledge of mathematics.

If I can bring some light to bear on problems like that, I feel that people will be enlightened not only on the question but also on a way of approaching such questions.

It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.

if you do not appreciate the mathematics, you cannot see, among the great variety of facts, that logic permits you to go from one to the other

Doubt is the vestibule through which all must pass before they can enter into the temple of wisdom.

I am not a mathematician, but I was aware that for centuries, mathematics was considered the queen of the sciences because it claimed certainty. It was grounded on some fundamental certainties - axioms - that led to others.

Logic and fact keep interfering with the easy flow of conversation.

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

Where the senses fail us, reason must step in.

Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.

Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.

What is your aim in philosophy? To show the fly the way out of the fly-bottle.

Ignorance never settles a question.

The aim of science is not to open the door to infinite wisdom, but to set a limit to infinite error.

Ability to discern that what is true is true, and that what is false is false, is the characteristic of intelligence.

What I knew was I liked math and science, and I never wanted to memorize everything. I wanted to understand where it came from.

It is by logic we prove. It is by intuition we discover.

The math helps you have better understanding and helps you have more creative ideas, but you can't replace the creative ideas

Mathematical reasoning may be regarded.

My wish for you... is that your skeptic-eclectic brain be flooded with the light of truth.

Mathematics is a language plus reasoning. It's like a language plus logic. Mathematics is a tool for reasoning.

Do not imagine that mathematics is hard and crabbed, and repulsive to common sense. It is merely the etherealization of common sense.

A problem thoroughly understood is always fairly simple. Found your opinions on facts, not prejudices. We know too many things that are not true.

The more false we destroy, the more room there will be for the true.