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Single Idea 6675

[filed under theme 2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 9. Limits of Reason ]

Full Idea

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.

Gist of Idea

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing

Source

Blaise Pascal (Pensées [1662], 423 (277))

Book Ref

Pascal,Blaise: 'Pensées', ed/tr. Krailsheimer,A.J. [Penguin 1966], p.154

A Reaction

This romantic remark has passed into folklore. I am essentially against it, but the role of intuition and instinct are undeniable in both reasoning and ethics. I don't feel inclined, though, to let my heart overrule my reason concerning what exists.

The 28 ideas with the same theme [extent to which our reason can reveal truth]:

21264 Mortals are incapable of being fully rational [Plato]
19740 A very hungry man cannot choose between equidistant piles of food [Aristotle]
1800 Sceptics say reason is only an instrument, because reason can only be attacked with reason [Pyrrho, by Diog. Laertius]
1813 All reasoning endlessly leads to further reasoning (Mode 12) [Agrippa, by Diog. Laertius]
1811 Proofs often presuppose the thing to be proved (Mode 15) [Agrippa, by Diog. Laertius]
1812 All discussion is full of uncertainty and contradiction (Mode 11) [Agrippa, by Diog. Laertius]
1815 Reasoning needs arbitrary faith in preliminary hypotheses (Mode 14) [Agrippa, by Diog. Laertius]
23343 Because reason performs all analysis, we should analyse reason - but how? [Epictetus]
22752 Reasoning is impossible without a preconception [Sext.Empiricus]
1403 A rational donkey would starve to death between two totally identical piles of hay [Buridan, by PG]
6675 The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing [Pascal]
19433 The universe is infinitely varied, so the Buridan's Ass dilemma could never happen [Leibniz]
22520 You can't reason someone out of an irrational opinion [Swift]
19767 Reason leads to prudent selfishness, which overrules natural compassion [Rousseau]
8099 The truths of reason instruct, but they do not illuminate [Joubert]
8932 Truth does not come from giving reasons for and against propositions [Hegel]
6558 A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds [Emerson]
4523 What can be 'demonstrated' is of little worth [Nietzsche]
8594 People have had good reasons for thinking that the circle has been squared [Shoemaker]
3092 If you believe that some of your beliefs are false, then at least one of your beliefs IS false [Harman]
7986 Drunken boat pilots are less likely to collide than clearly focused ones [Baudrillard]
8062 Proof is a barren idea in philosophy, and the best philosophy never involves proof [MacIntyre]
3801 Rationality requires the assumption that things are either for better or worse [Dennett]
1591 Unfortunately for reason, argument can't be used to establish the value of argument [Roochnik]
1599 Attempts to suspend all presuppositions are hopeless, because a common ground must be agreed for the process [Roochnik]
18781 Inconsistency doesn't prevent us reasoning about some system [Mares]
6557 Humans may never be able to attain a world view which is both rich and consistent [Fogelin]
6568 A game can be played, despite having inconsistent rules [Fogelin]