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Single Idea 21239

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / d. Philosophy as puzzles]

Full Idea

The philosopher is marked by the distinguishing trait that he possesses inseparably the taste for evidence and the feeling for ambiguity.

Gist of Idea

Philosophers are marked by a joint love of evidence and ambiguity

Source

Maurice Merleau-Ponty (In Praise of Philosophy [1953], p.4), quoted by Sarah Bakewell - At the Existentialist Café 11

A Reaction

I strongly approve of the idea that philosophers are primarily interested in evidence (rather than reason or logic), and I also like the idea that the ambiguous evidence is the most interesting. The mind looks physical and non-physical.

Book Reference

Bakewell,Sarah: 'At the Existentialist Café' [Chatto and Windus 2016], p.241