Lucretius Quotes

Knowledge is two-fold, and consists not only in an affirmation of what is true, but in the negation of that which is false.

Science is not wisdom.

A train of thought is never false. The falsehood lies deep in the necessities of existence.

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.

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

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them.

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

The typical person has no trouble believing without knowing. What people need to realize is simply that you do not need to believe to know.

If someone doesn’t value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide that proves they should value evidence. If someone doesn’t value logic, what logical argument would you invoke to prove they should value logic?

The beauty of science hugely outranks the charms of superstition.

Rationality is the recognition of the fact that nothing can alter the truth and nothing can take precedence over that act of perceiving it.

The psychologists and the metaphysicians wrangle endlessly over the nature of the thinking process in man, but no matter how violently they differ otherwise they all agree that it has little to do with logic and is not much conditioned by overt facts.

Every man feels that perception gives him an invincible belief of the existence of that which he perceives; and that this belief is not the effect of reasoning, but the immediate consequence of perception. When philosophers have wearied themselves and their readers with their speculations upon this subject, they can neither strengthen this belief, nor weaken it; nor can they shew how it is produced. It puts the philosopher and the peasant upon a level; and neither of them can give any other reason for believing his senses, than that he finds it impossible for him to do otherwise.

If faith is what you have to go on, if faith is the link between your beliefs and the world at large, your beliefs are very likely to be wrong. Beliefs can be right or wrong. If you believe you can fly, that belief is only true if indeed you can fly. Somebody who thinks he can fly, and is wrong about it, will eventually discover there's a problem with his view of the world.

All reasoning ends in an appeal to self-evidence.

God forbid that Truth should be confined to Mathematical Demonstration!

Science is the most reliable guide in life.

The interest I have to believe a thing is no proof that such a thing exists.

All true knowledge contradicts common sense.

You want the truth, of course. You want me to put two and two together. But two and two doesn’t necessarily get you the truth. Two and two equals a voice outside the window. Two and two equals the wind. The living bird is not its labeled bones.

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

Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all.