Full Idea
Those whom devotion to abstract discussions has rendered unobservant of the facts are too ready to dogmatise on the basis of a few observations.
Gist of Idea
Unobservant thinkers tend to dogmatise using insufficient facts
Source
Aristotle (Coming-to-be and Passing-away (Gen/Corr) [c.335 BCE], 316a09)
A Reaction
I totally approve of the idea that a good philosopher should be 'observant'. Prestige in modern analytic philosophy comes from logical ability. There should be some rival criterion for attentiveness to facts, with equal prestige.
Book Reference
Aristotle: 'The Basic Works of Aristotle', ed/tr. McKeon,Richard [Modern Library Classics 2001], p.474
Related Idea
Idea 18559 Philosophy is empty if it does not in some way depend on matters of fact [Machery]