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Thomas Nagel Quotes

Consciousness is what makes the mind-body problem really intractable Picture Quote #1

Without consciousness the mind-body problem would be much less interesting. With consciousness it seems hopeless Picture Quote #1

Absurdity is one of the most human things about us: a manifestation of our most advanced and interesting characteristics Picture Quote #1

$Everyone is entitled to commit murder in the imagination once in a while, not to mention lesser infractions Picture Quote #1$

There is a tendency to seek an objective account of everything before admitting its reality Picture Quote #1

I should not really object to dying were it not followed by death Picture Quote #1

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A theory of motivation is defective if it renders intelligible behaviour which is not intelligible Picture Quote #1

Life may be not only meaningless but absurd Picture Quote #1

I conceive ethics as a branch of psychology Picture Quote #1

If you want the truth rather than merely something to say, you will have a good deal less to say Picture Quote #1

If sub specie aeternitatis there is no reason to believe that anything matters, then that does not matter either, and we can approach our absurd lives with irony instead of heroism or despair Picture Quote #1

The point is... to live one’s life in the full complexity of what one is, which is something much darker, more contradictory, more of a maelstrom of impulses and passions, of cruelty, ecstacy, and madness, than is apparent to the civilized being who glides on the surface and fits smoothly into the world Picture Quote #1

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Every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that point of view Picture Quote #1

Any reductionist program has to be based on an analysis of what is to be reduced. If the analysis leaves something out, the problem will be falsely posed Picture Quote #1

Each of our lives is a part of the lengthy process of the universe gradually waking up and becoming aware of itself Picture Quote #1

It is prima facie highly implausible that life as we know it is the result of a sequence of physical accidents together with the mechanism of natural selection. We are supposed to abandon this naïve response, not in favor of a fully worked out physical/chemical explanation but in favor of an alternative that is really a schema for explanation, supported by some examples. What is lacking, to my knowledge, is a credible argument that the story has a nonnegligible probability of being true Picture Quote #1

I’m not sure I understand how responsibility for our choices makes sense if they are not determined Picture Quote #1

What is it like to be a bat? What is it like for a bat to be a bat? Picture Quote #1

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Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up Picture Quote #1

To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe Picture Quote #1

The more details we learn about the chemical basis of life and the intricacy of the genetic code, the more unbelievable the standard historical account becomes Picture Quote #1

Materialism is incomplete even as a theory of the physical world, since the physical world includes conscious organisms among its most striking occupants Picture Quote #1

It seems to me that, as it is usually presented, the current orthodoxy about the cosmic order is the product of governing assumptions that are unsupported, and that it flies in the face of common sense Picture Quote #1

Humans are addicted to the hope for a final reckoning, but intellectual humility requires that we resist the temptation to assume that tools of the kind we now have are in principle sufficient to understand the universe as a whole Picture Quote #1

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Equally real at all stages of his life; specifically, the fact that a particular stage is present cannot be regarded as conferring on it any special status Picture Quote #1

Altruism itself depends on a recognition of the reality of other persons, and on the equivalent capacity to regard oneself as merely one individual among many Picture Quote #1

The problem is one of opposition between subjective and objective points of view. There is a tendency to seek an objective account of everything before admitting its reality. But often what appears to a more subjective point of view cannot be accounted for in this way. So either the objective conception of the world is incomplete, or the subjective involves illusions that should be rejected Picture Quote #1

Once we see an aspect of what we or someone else does as something that happens, we lose our grip on the idea that it has been done and that we can judge the doer and not just the happening Picture Quote #1

The inclusion of consequences in the conception of what we have done is an acknowledgement that we are parts of the world, but the paradoxical character of moral luck which emerges from this acknowledgement shows that we are unable to operate with such a view, for it leaves us with no one to be Picture Quote #1

A person may be greedy, envious, cowardly, cold, ungenerous, unkind, vain, or conceited, but behave perfectly by a monumental act of the will Picture Quote #1

Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

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Text Quotes

Consciousness is what makes the mind-body problem really intractable (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Without consciousness the mind-body problem would be much less interesting. With consciousness it seems hopeless (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Absurdity is one of the most human things about us: a manifestation of our most advanced and interesting characteristics (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Everyone is entitled to commit murder in the imagination once in a while, not to mention lesser infractions (Thomas Nagel Quotes) There is a tendency to seek an objective account of everything before admitting its reality (Thomas Nagel Quotes) I should not really object to dying were it not followed by death (Thomas Nagel Quotes) A theory of motivation is defective if it renders intelligible behaviour which is not intelligible (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Life may be not only meaningless but absurd (Thomas Nagel Quotes) I conceive ethics as a branch of psychology (Thomas Nagel Quotes) If you want the truth rather than merely something to say, you will have a good deal less to say (Thomas Nagel Quotes) If sub specie aeternitatis there is no reason to believe that anything matters, then that does not matter either, and we can approach our absurd lives with irony instead of heroism or despair (Thomas Nagel Quotes) The point is... to live one’s life in the full complexity of what one is, which is something much darker, more contradictory, more of a maelstrom of impulses and passions, of cruelty, ecstacy, and madness, than is apparent to the civilized being who glides on the surface and fits smoothly into the world (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that point of view (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Any reductionist program has to be based on an analysis of what is to be reduced. If the analysis leaves something out, the problem will be falsely posed (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Each of our lives is a part of the lengthy process of the universe gradually waking up and becoming aware of itself (Thomas Nagel Quotes) It is prima facie highly implausible that life as we know it is the result of a sequence of physical accidents together with the mechanism of natural selection. We are supposed to abandon this naïve response, not in favor of a fully worked out physical/chemical explanation but in favor of an alternative that is really a schema for explanation, supported by some examples. What is lacking, to my knowledge, is a credible argument that the story has a nonnegligible probability of being true (Thomas Nagel Quotes) I’m not sure I understand how responsibility for our choices makes sense if they are not determined (Thomas Nagel Quotes) What is it like to be a bat? What is it like for a bat to be a bat? (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up (Thomas Nagel Quotes) To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of how to decide what to believe (Thomas Nagel Quotes) The more details we learn about the chemical basis of life and the intricacy of the genetic code, the more unbelievable the standard historical account becomes (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Materialism is incomplete even as a theory of the physical world, since the physical world includes conscious organisms among its most striking occupants (Thomas Nagel Quotes) It seems to me that, as it is usually presented, the current orthodoxy about the cosmic order is the product of governing assumptions that are unsupported, and that it flies in the face of common sense (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Humans are addicted to the hope for a final reckoning, but intellectual humility requires that we resist the temptation to assume that tools of the kind we now have are in principle sufficient to understand the universe as a whole (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Equally real at all stages of his life; specifically, the fact that a particular stage is present cannot be regarded as conferring on it any special status (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Altruism itself depends on a recognition of the reality of other persons, and on the equivalent capacity to regard oneself as merely one individual among many (Thomas Nagel Quotes) The problem is one of opposition between subjective and objective points of view. There is a tendency to seek an objective account of everything before admitting its reality. But often what appears to a more subjective point of view cannot be accounted for in this way. So either the objective conception of the world is incomplete, or the subjective involves illusions that should be rejected (Thomas Nagel Quotes) Once we see an aspect of what we or someone else does as something that happens, we lose our grip on the idea that it has been done and that we can judge the doer and not just the happening (Thomas Nagel Quotes) The inclusion of consequences in the conception of what we have done is an acknowledgement that we are parts of the world, but the paradoxical character of moral luck which emerges from this acknowledgement shows that we are unable to operate with such a view, for it leaves us with no one to be (Thomas Nagel Quotes) A person may be greedy, envious, cowardly, cold, ungenerous, unkind, vain, or conceited, but behave perfectly by a monumental act of the will (Thomas Nagel Quotes)