'Making itself intelligible is suicide for philosophy' (from Contributions to Philosophy from Enowning, full quote:
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Philosophy loses its purpose if it becomes too easy to understand, as deep truth requires obscurity.
- In plain terms
- Philosophy cannot become fully clear without losing its value.
- What can you take from it?
- True philosophical insight resists simple explanation.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does truth require obscurity?
- How clear should deep ideas be?
Another view
Clarity can sometimes be a virtue even in deep thought.
More from Martin Heidegger
Being is only Being for Dasein
Permalink to quote #6 Everywhere we remain unfree and chained to technology, whether we passionately affirm or deny it. But we are delivered over to it in the worst possible way whe…
Permalink to quote #8 Nevertheless, the ultimate business of philosophy is to preserve the force of the most elemental words in which Dasein expresses itself, and to keep the common…
Permalink to quote #5
Related quotes
'Kant ought to be arrested and given three years in Solovki asylum for that 'proof' of his!' Ivan Nikolayich burst out completely unexpectedly. 'Ivan!' whisper…
Mikhail BulgakovMikhail Bulgakov quote #2 I don't want dainty little moments of insight ...
Douglas CouplandDouglas Coupland quote #7 Pretend what we may, the whole man within us is at work when we form our philosophical opinions. Intellect, will, taste, and passion co-operate just as they do…
William JamesWilliam James quote #12