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Single Idea 24081

[filed under theme 18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 5. Rationality / a. Rationality ]

Full Idea

Only now is the truth dawning on us that the biggest part by far of our intellectual activity takes place unconsciously, and unfelt by us.

Gist of Idea

Most of our intellectual activity is unconscious

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (The Gay (Joyful) Science [1882], §333)

Book Ref

Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'The Joyful Science, and 1881-82 fragments (v 6)', ed/tr. Del Caro,Adrian [Stanford 2023], p.195

A Reaction

Note that this is 'intellectual activity', and just the hidden rumblings of instincts and emotions. I think he is right. Philosophers want to verbalise everything, but I don't think the main insights of philosophical thinking are verbal.

Related Idea

Idea 20116 Most of our lives, even the important parts, take place outside of consciousness [Nietzsche]

The 28 ideas with the same theme [general capacity for reason and logic]:

4326 Aristotle gives a superior account of rationality, because he allows emotions to participate [Hursthouse on Aristotle]
23265 The rational part of the soul is the desire for truth, understanding and recollection [Galen]
7650 All thought is feeling, and rationality is the sensitive soul contemplating reasoning [La Mettrie]
8687 Kantian 'intuition' is the bridge between pure reason and its application to sense experiences [Kant, by Friend]
19451 When absorbed in deep reflection, is your reason in control, or is it you? [Feuerbach]
19248 Reasoning involves observation, experiment, and habituation [Peirce]
24081 Most of our intellectual activity is unconscious [Nietzsche]
7171 Rationality is a scheme we cannot cast away [Nietzsche]
22650 How can the ground of rationality be itself rational? [James]
5369 It is rational to believe in reality, despite the lack of demonstrative reasons for it [Russell]
3967 Absence of all rationality would be absence of thought [Davidson]
6951 Ordinary rationality is conservative, starting from where your beliefs currently are [Harman]
22662 In the instrumental view of rationality it only concerns means, and not ends [Nozick]
22663 Rationality is normally said to concern either giving reasons, or reliability [Nozick]
22666 Is it rational to believe a truth which leads to permanent misery? [Nozick]
22667 Rationality needs some self-consciousness, to also evaluate how we acquired our reasons [Nozick]
2450 Rationality has mental properties - autonomy, productivity, experiment [Fodor]
12174 Only rational beings are attentive without motive or concern [Scruton]
23743 Capturing all the common sense facts about rationality is almost impossible [Smith,M]
4765 Stich accepts eliminativism (labelled 'pragmatism') about rationality and normativity [Stich, by Engel]
4629 Consistency is the cornerstone of rationality [Baggini /Fosl]
11047 Hegelian holistic rationality is the capacity to seek coherence [Hanna]
11048 Humean Instrumental rationality is the capacity to seek contingent truths [Hanna]
11046 Kantian principled rationality is recognition of a priori universal truths [Hanna]
11067 Rational animals have a normative concept of necessity [Hanna]
11068 One tradition says talking is the essence of rationality; the other says the essence is logic [Hanna]
20990 Rationality is conformity to reasons that can be sustained even after scrutiny [Sen]
16419 No one has yet devised a rationality test [New Sci.]