Full Idea
The philosopher is marked by the distinguishing trait that he possesses inseparably the taste for evidence and the feeling for ambiguity.
Gist of Idea
Philosophers are marked by a joint love of evidence and ambiguity
Source
Maurice Merleau-Ponty (In Praise of Philosophy [1953], p.4), quoted by Sarah Bakewell - At the Existentialist Café 11
Book Reference
Bakewell,Sarah: 'At the Existentialist Café' [Chatto and Windus 2016], p.241
A Reaction
I strongly approve of the idea that philosophers are primarily interested in evidence (rather than reason or logic), and I also like the idea that the ambiguous evidence is the most interesting. The mind looks physical and non-physical.