Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Presentism and Properties', 'Abstract of 'The Fourfold Root'' and 'talk'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts

---

2 ideas

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 9. Limits of Reason

1403	A rational donkey would starve to death between two totally identical piles of hay [Buridan, by PG]
	Full Idea: A rational donkey faced with two totally identical piles of hay would be unable to decide which one to eat first, and would therefore starve to death
	From: report of Jean Buridan (talk [1338]) by PG - Db (ideas)
	A reaction: also De Caelo 295b32 (Idea 19740).

2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 2. Sufficient Reason

4187	'There is nothing without a reason why it should be rather than not be' (a generalisation of 'Why?') [Schopenhauer]
	Full Idea: The Principle may be stated as 'There is nothing without a reason why it should be rather than not be', which is a generalisation of the assumption which justifies the question 'Why?', which is the mother of all science.
	From: Arthur Schopenhauer (Abstract of 'The Fourfold Root' [1813], Ch.I)
	A reaction: This faith is the core of philosophy, to be maintained against all defeatists like Wittgenstein and Colin McGinn. Reality must be rational, or we wouldn't be here to think about it. (Maybe!)