We should not be surprised that we find meaningless noises in the foundation of many old 'philosophies', and that from them arise most of the old 'philosophical' fights and arguments.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Korzybski argues that old philosophies are built on meaningless sounds, which cause pointless arguments.
- In plain terms
- Many old ideas are based on empty words that lead to useless fights.
- What can you take from it?
- Question the value of traditional debates before engaging in them.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a philosophical argument meaningful?
- Are you arguing over words or ideas?
Another view
Not all historical philosophy is meaningless; some offers real insight.
More from Alfred Korzybski
...the main achievement of Einstein was precisely in the fact that he refused to divide verbally time and space, which experimentally cannot be so divided.
Permalink to quote #21 ...the analogy between the noises we make when these noises do not symbolize anything which exists, and the worthless checks we write when our bank balance is …
Permalink to quote #23 Incorrect symbolism... is bound to undermine any possibility of our building a structurally human civilization.
Permalink to quote #20
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