'Kant ought to be arrested and given three years in Solovki asylum for that 'proof' of his!' Ivan Nikolayich burst out completely unexpectedly. 'Ivan!' whispered Berlioz, embarrassed. But the suggestion to pack Kant off to an asylum not only did not surprise the stranger but actually delighted him. 'Exactly, exactly!' he cried and his green left eye, turned on Berlioz glittered. 'That's exactly the place for him! I said to him myself that morning at breakfast: 'If you'll forgive me, professor, your theory is no good. It may be clever but it's horribly incomprehensible. People will think you're mad.'' Berlioz's eyes bulged. At breakfast...to Kant?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker mocks a philosophical proof as incomprehensible and mad.
- In plain terms
- He says a professor's theory is so hard to understand it seems crazy.
- What can you take from it?
- If a theory is too complex, it may fail to convince.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does clarity always mean truth?
- How do you judge a theory that confuses you?
Another view
Deep ideas are sometimes hard to explain clearly.
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