Philosophy is explicitness, generality,
Philosophy is explicitness, generality, orientation and assessment. That which one would insinuate, thereof one must speak. Ernest Gellner
Generalities
Guided only by their
Guided only by their feeling for symmetry, simplicity, and generality, and an indefinable sense of the fitness of things, creative mathematicians now, as in the past, are inspired by the art of mathematics rather than by any prospect of ultimate usefulness. Eric Temple Bell
The pursuit of pretty
The pursuit of pretty formulas and neat theorems can no doubt quickly degenerate into a silly vice, but so can the quest for austere generalities which are so very general indeed that they are incapable of application to any particular. Eric Temple Bell
What profound reward you
What profound reward you must glean from studying the world so closely….Too many people turn away from small wonders, I find. There is so much more potency to be found in detail than generalities, but most souls cannot train themselves to sit still for it. Elizabeth Gilbert
We can no longer
We can no longer oversimplify. We can no longer build lazy and false stereotypes: Americans are like this, Russians are like that, a Jew behaves in such a way, a Negro thinks in a different way. The lazy generalities – ‘You know how women are … Isn’t that just like a man?’ The world cannot … Read more
Sometimes I wonder if
Sometimes I wonder if we shall ever grow up in our politics and say definite things which mean something, or whether we shall always go on using generalities to which everyone can subscribe, and which mean very little. Eleanor Roosevelt
Even before string theory,
Even before string theory, especially as physics developed in the 20th century, it turned out that the equations that really work in describing nature with the most generality and the greatest simplicity are very elegant and subtle. Edward Witten
It [destroying Twin Towers]
It [destroying Twin Towers] was a leap into another realm – the realm of crazy abstractions and mythological generalities, involving people who have hijacked Islam for their own purposes. It’s important not to fall into that trap and to try to respond with a metaphysical retaliation of some sort. Edward Said
This [terrorists attacks on
This [terrorists attacks on 9/11] was part of nothing. It was a leap into another realm – the realm of crazy abstractions and mythological generalities, involving people who have hijacked Islam for their own purposes. It’s important not to fall into that trap and to try to respond with a metaphysical retaliation of some sort. … Read more
It is very rare,
It is very rare, indeed, for men to be wrong in their feelings concerning public misconduct; as rare to be right in their speculations upon the cause of it. I have constantly observed that the generality of people are fifty years, at least, behind in their politics. Edmund Burke