Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Lectures on the Philosophy of (World) History' and 'Cogitata et Visa'

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4 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 3. Philosophy Defined

23367	Even pointing a finger should only be done for a reason [Epictetus]
	Full Idea: Philosophy says it is not right even to stretch out a finger without some reason.
	From: Epictetus (fragments/reports [c.57], 15)
	A reaction: The key point here is that philosophy concerns action, an idea on which Epictetus is very keen. He rather despise theory. This idea perfectly sums up the concept of the wholly rational life (which no rational person would actually want to live!).

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / e. Philosophy as reason

21753	If we look at the world rationally, the world assumes a rational aspect [Hegel]
	Full Idea: Whoever looks at the world rationally will find that it in turn assumes a rational aspect; the two exist in a reciprocal relationship.
	From: Georg W.F.Hegel (Lectures on the Philosophy of (World) History [1837], p.29), quoted by Stephen Houlgate - An Introduction to Hegel 01
	A reaction: What happens when I look at irrationality rationally?

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 1. On Reason

21974	The world seems rational to those who look at it rationally [Hegel]
	Full Idea: To him who looks at the world rationally, the world looks rationally back; the two exist in reciprocal relationship.
	From: Georg W.F.Hegel (Lectures on the Philosophy of (World) History [1837], Intro p.29), quoted by A.W. Moore - The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics 07.4
	A reaction: This is a nice variation on the stoic idea that nature is essentially rational. If we are capable of rationality, then nature has made us that way. Romantics seem to prefer looking at nature less rationally, so what do they see in nature?

12. Knowledge Sources / D. Empiricism / 1. Empiricism

3648	Empiricists are collecting ants; rationalists are spinning spiders; and bees do both [Bacon]
	Full Idea: Empiricists are like ants; they collect and put to use; but rationalists, like spiders, spin threads out of themselves. (…and bees follow the middle way, of collecting material and transforming it).
	From: Francis Bacon (Cogitata et Visa [1607])
	A reaction: Nice (and so concisely expressed). Bees seem to be just more intelligent and energetic empiricists.