54 Quotes About Empiricism

Perception of nature is perception of truth.

A true empiricism is one that sets itself the task of getting as close as possible to the original, of sounding the depths of life, of feeling the pulse of its spirit by a sort of intellectual auscultation"; we "listen in" on the current of life. By direct perception we feel the presence of the mind; by intellectual circumlocution we arrive at the notion that thought is a dance of molecules in the brain. Is there any doubt that intuition here beholds more truly the heart of life?

I say I do not wish to be counted as an ignoramus and an ingrate toward Nature and toward God. For if they have given me my senses and my reason, why should I defer such great gifts to the errors of some mere man? Why should I believe blindly and stupidly what I wish to believe, and subject the freedom of my intellect to someone else who is just as liable to error as I am?

The good that [Galileo] fought for is not so easy to express. But put it this way: he believed in reality. He believed in paying attention to it, and in learning what he could of it, and then saying what he had learned, even insisting on it. Then in trying to apply that knowledge to make things better, if he could. Put it this way: he believed in science.

Scientists believe they can trump any opponent by saying, “Where is your physical evidence?” That statement – their reflexive go-to statement – is the core of their fallacy, because it has already excluded all hidden variables, non-observables, and the whole noumenal inside of reality.

Blabbering on about “evidence” exposes the bankruptcy of your capacity to present a rational argument. No rational, necessary argument has any reliance whatsoever on empirical contingency. None of the eternal truths of reason requires any human senses, or any human experiences, or any human “evidence”. In other words, the eternal truths of reason – the rational basis of existence – have zero reliance on human science.

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

Stercus accidit.

Wisdom or enlightenment is not white, black or brown – it’s not christian, muslim, jew, hindu or atheist – it’s not homosexual or heterosexual – it’s not reductionist, empirical or sentimental – it’s not belief or disbelief. True enlightenment or wisdom or understanding or insight, whatever we call it, is beyond all opposites – it‘s beyond materialism and spiritualism – it’s beyond atheism and theism – it’s beyond all intellectualism and cynicism.