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Full Idea
What usually misleads us is that we very frequently form a judgement although we do not have an accurate perception of what we judge.
Gist of Idea
Most errors of judgement result from an inaccurate perception of the facts
Source
René Descartes (Principles of Philosophy [1646], I.33)
Book Ref
Descartes,René: 'Philosophical Essays and Correspondence', ed/tr. Ariew,Roger [Hackett 2000], p.239
A Reaction
This seems to me a generally accurate observation, particularly in the making of moral judgements (which was probably not what Descartes was considering). The implication is that judgements are to a large extent forced by our perceptions.
| 2284 | I make errors because my will extends beyond my understanding [Descartes] |
| 5007 | Most errors of judgement result from an inaccurate perception of the facts [Descartes] |
| 4841 | People make calculation mistakes by misjudging the figures, not calculating them wrongly [Spinoza] |
| 21542 | Do incorrect judgements have non-existent, or mental, or external objects? [Russell] |
| 6443 | Surprise is a criterion of error [Russell] |
| 22306 | To explain false belief we should take belief as relating to a proposition's parts, not to the whole thing [Russell] |
| 6097 | The theory of error seems to need the existence of the non-existent [Russell] |
| 5425 | In order to explain falsehood, a belief must involve several terms, not two [Russell] |
| 23475 | The form of a proposition must show why nonsense is unjudgeable [Wittgenstein] |