Allan Bloom Quotes

The true function of philosophy is to educate us in the principles of reasoning and not to put an end to further reasoning by the introduction of fixed conclusions.

Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.

Reason is the test of ridicule, not ridicule the test of truth.

The proper method for hastening the decay of error is by teaching every man to think for himself.

I was resolved to sustain and preserve in my college the bite of the mind, the chance to stand face to face with truth, the good life lived in a small, various, highly articulate and democratic society.

I read books like mad, but I am careful to to let anything I read influence me.

Universities are not here to be mediums for the coercion of other people, they're here to be mediums for the free exchange of ideas.

There is only one justification for universities, as distinguished from trade schools. They must be centers of criticism.

Only reason can convince us of those three fundamental truths without a recognition of which there can be no effective liberty: that what we believe is not necessarily good; and that all questions are open.

"Relevance" may not be best.... Impetuous action, conscious oversimplification, refusal to doubt, and the rejection of reason are enemies of the university.

In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.

Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.

Academic freedom carries with it the right to heresy as well as the right to restate and defend the traditional views.

If a book be false in its facts, disprove them; if false in its reasoning, refute it. But for God's sake, let us freely hear both sides if we choose.

The proper business of a University is ... not to tell us ... what we ought to believe, and make us accept the belief as a duty; but to give us information and training, and help us to form our own beliefs in a manner worthy of intelligent beings.

We promote pluralism, not dogma. We critique, we do not accept uncritically. We question and we debate, and over time we will separate the wheat from the chaff. We will separate the worthwhile from the misguided in all the new ideas and new voices that we hear. But we cannot do that if we close ourselves from the contrarian view, or simply suppress the views of those who would challenge the accepted and the known.

We need a world where the values of science are celebrated: free inquiry, free speech and a healthy skepticism, all coupled with a sense of wonder, a respect for truth and an ability to reason.

As an academic, I value the free exchange of ideas.

If we can't have an open and honest debate about the value of ideas in a university in Glasgow, or Boston, or anywhere else in the world, then where are they going to go?

Like all religions, Reason presents itself as the solution to the problems it has created

The genuine rationalist does not think that he or anyone else is in possession of the truth; nor does he think that mere criticism as such helps us achieve new ideas. But he does think that, in the sphere of ideas, only critical discussion can help us sort the wheat from the chaff.

Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error.

Critical thinking is to a liberal education as faith is to religion. ... the converse was true also - faith is to a liberal education as critical thinking is to religion, irrelevant and even damaging.

Man must not check his reason by tradition, but, contrariwise, must check tradition by reason.

The essence of a university is free and open inquiry, and when it loses that it is no longer a university.