As a rule we disbelieve all the facts and theories for which we have no use.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People tend to reject facts and theories that have no immediate utility for them.
- In plain terms
- We ignore facts we don’t need.
- What can you take from it?
- Utility bias shapes what we accept as true.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do we dismiss inconvenient truths?
- How can we value knowledge for its own sake?
Another view
Some facts are valuable even without direct use.
More from Gustave Flaubert
What an elder sees sitting, the young can't see standing.
Permalink to quote #102 To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.
Permalink to quote #101 There is no truth. There is only perception.
Permalink to quote #100
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