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Ideas from 'The Life of Reason' by George Santayana [1906], by Theme Structure

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1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 1. History of Philosophy
8000 He who is ignorant of the history of philosophy is doomed to repeat it
                        Full Idea: Santayana remarked that he who is ignorant of the history of philosophy is doomed to repeat it.
                        From: report of George Santayana (The Life of Reason [1906]) by Alasdair MacIntyre - A Short History of Ethics Ch.1
                        A reaction: Santayana's remark seems to have been about history in general, so this is a Macintyre thought. It obviously has a lot of truth, and most great philosophers seem hugely knowledgeable. However, ignorance brings a kind of freedom.