more from Gottfried Leibniz

Single Idea 4302

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / C. Rationalism / 1. Rationalism]

Full Idea

However often one experiences instances of a universal truth, one could never know inductively that it would always hold unless one knew through reason that it was necessary.

Gist of Idea

You may experience a universal truth, but only reason can tell you that it is always true

Source

Gottfried Leibniz (New Essays on Human Understanding [1704], 1.01)

Book Reference

Leibniz,Gottfried: 'New Essays on Human Understanding', ed/tr. Remnant/Bennett [CUP 1996], p.80


A Reaction

The problem, though, is that as soon as we go beyond experience we are not very reliable, and are liable to arrogance, error and lack of imagination.