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Full Idea
There are many people who imagine that what they experience they also understand.
Gist of Idea
Many people imagine that to experience is to understand
Source
Wolfgang von Goethe (Maxims and Reflections [1825], 889)
Book Ref
Goethe,J. Wolfgang: 'Maxims and Reflections' [Penguin 1840], p.117
A Reaction
This should be posted over the arrivals gate of every international airport, for returning holiday-makers. It seems to place Goethe on the rationalist side of the debate with empiricism. It is hard to explain 'understanding' in Humean terms.
| 7538 | The happiest people link the beginning and end of life [Goethe] |
| 7539 | To get duties from people without rights, you must pay them well [Goethe] |
| 7540 | Beauty is a manifestation of secret natural laws [Goethe] |
| 7541 | Man never understands how anthropomorphic he is [Goethe] |
| 7542 | The best form of government teaches us to govern ourselves [Goethe] |
| 7543 | We gain self-knowledge through action, not thought - especially when doing our duty [Goethe] |
| 7544 | Many people imagine that to experience is to understand [Goethe] |