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.
Gist of Idea
Most scholastic disputes concern words, where agreeing on meanings would settle them
Source
René Descartes (Rules for the Direction of the Mind [1628], 13)
Book Reference
Descartes,René: 'Rules for the Direction of the Mind' [Newcomb Library 2023], p.46
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.