Thomas Nagel Quotes

Reason must be our last judge and guide in everything.

A rational man is guided by his thinking - by a process of Reason - not by his feelings and desires.

I ask the fundamental question of rationality: Why do you believe what you believe? What do you think you know and how do you think you know it?

Reason enables us to get around in the world of ideas, but cannot prescribe our thoughts.

First, he must hold rational values, and to do this he must be a thinker.

I don't make decisions with my heart, I use my brain to think things through.

Logic is a wonderful thing but doesn't always beat actual thought.

Of course, analysis can sometimes give more accurate results than intuition but usually it’s just a lot of work. I normally do what my intuition tells me to do. Most of the time spent thinking is just to double-check.

Rationality is the master lifehack which distinguishes which other lifehacks to use.

Reason alone cannot give you a whole steak, but it sure helps with identifying bologna.

Those who will not reason, perish in the act. Those who will not act, perish for that reason.

To be clever in argument is not rationality but rationalization.

Nothing requires a greater effort of thought than arguments to justify the rule of non-thought.

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.

A third ideal that has made its way in the modern world is reliance on reason, especially reason disciplined and enriched by modern science. An eternal basis of human intercommunication is reason.

It is not rational to assume, without evidence, that rationality can disclose everything about the world, just because it can disclose some things. Our intuition in favour of rationality, where we are inclined to use it, is just that - an intuition. Reason is founded in intuition and ends in intuition, like a pair of massive bookends.

To solve a problem it is necessary to think. It is necessary to think even to decide what facts to collect.

The truth is always the strongest argument.

Knowledge is justified belief.

In my opinion, it helps enormously to know why something is true, rather than being told it is true, for why should you believe me? Never believe anything on the authority of a single person but seek confirmation — and reason is the best confirmation

The most fluent talkers or most plausible reasoners are not only the justest thinkers.

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

Truth is about propositions. When it comes to determining truth, it is vital to understand the methods used by individuals in asserting propositions.

Italians think with their heads.