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Any concepts or words which have been formed in the past through the interplay between the world and ourselves are not really sharply defined with respect to their meaning: that is to say, we do not know exactly how far they will help us in finding our way in the world. We often know that they can be applied to a wide range of inner or outer experience, but we practically never know precisely the limits of their applicability. This is true even of the simplest and most general concepts like 'existence' and 'space and time'. Therefore, it will never be possible by pure reason to arrive at some absolute truth. The concepts may, however, be sharply defined with regard to their connections... a group of connected concepts may be applicable to a wide field of experience and will help us to find our way in this field. But the limits of the applicability will in general not be known, at least not completely...

Werner Heisenberg#17

ConceptsLanguageReasonTruth

About this quote

What does it mean?
Human concepts are never perfectly defined, limiting absolute truth via reason.
In plain terms
Our words and ideas have unclear limits so pure reason can't find absolute truth.
What can you take from it?
Recognize that concepts have unclear limits and never reveal absolute truth.

Where it applies

  • philosophical study
  • linguistic analysis
  • debate

Putting it to work

  • question definitions
  • accept ambiguity

Questions to consider

  • Can you define 'time' precisely?
  • Is absolute truth achievable?

Another view

Mathematical logic often achieves precise definition within systems.

More from Werner Heisenberg

  1. I remember discussions with Bohr which went through many hours till very late at night an ended almost in despair; and when at the end of the discussion I went…

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  2. Some subjects are so serious that one can only joke about them.

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  3. The physicist may be satisfied when he has the mathematical scheme and knows how to use for the interpretation of the experiments. But he has to speak about hi…

    Permalink to quote #15

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