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| 24033 | Most scholastic disputes concern words, where agreeing on meanings would settle them [Descartes] |
| Full Idea: The questions on which scholars argue are almost always questions of word. …If philosophers were agreed on the meaning of words, almost all their controversies would cease. | |
| From: René Descartes (Rules for the Direction of the Mind [1628], 13) | |
| A reaction: He has a low opinion of 'scholars'! It isn't that difficult to agree on the meanings of key words, in a given context. The aim isn't to get rid of the problems, but to focus on the real problems. Some words contain problems. |