“Faced with the nonsense question 'What is the meaning of a word?' and perhaps dimly recognizing it to be nonsense, we are nevertheless not inclined to give it up.”

Source: Philosophical Papers (1979), p. 58.

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J. L. Austin23

English philosopher 1911–1960

J. L. Austin (1911–1960) English philosopher

and perhaps dimly recognizing it to be nonsense, we are nevertheless not inclined to give it up.

p. 58
Philosophical Papers (1979)

“We never choose which words to use, for as long as they mean what they mean to mean, we don’t care if they make sense or nonsense.”

Norton Juster book The Phantom Tollbooth

Source: The Phantom Tollbooth

“Perhaps there is more sense in our nonsense and more nonsense in our 'sense' than we would care to believe.”

David Bohm (1917–1992) American theoretical physicist

“Everything in life in nonsense. It's just a question of persepctive”

Carlos Ruiz Zafón book The Angel's Game

Source: The Angel's Game

“If you ask "Should we be in space?" you ask a nonsense question. We are in space. We will be in space.”

Frank Herbert (1920–1986) American writer

"Man's Future in Space", (1981), essay reprinted in The Maker of Dune : Insights of a Master of Science Fiction (1987), edited by Tim O'Reilly
General sources

“I think skepticism is an antidote for nonsense –and there's always nonsense in life– and also it's the method for discovering what's true or false. And yes, we should use it throughout life.”

Paul Kurtz (1925–2012) American professor of philosophy

22:54–23:09
Exuberant Skepticism (2012)

“Nonsense is that which does not fit into the prearranged patterns which we have superimposed on reality… Nonsense is nonsense only when we have not yet found that point of view from which it makes sense.”

Gary Zukav (1942) American writer and revivalist

“This is just the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.”

Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

"Churchill on Prepositions" http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/churchill.html, and alt.english.usage at google groups http://groups.google.com/group/alt.english.usage/browse_thread/thread/dbf8ed860d953172/d44fbc9923cd662c?q=ben+zimmer+%22The+Strand%22&rnum=2#d44fbc9923cd662c have been the most immediate sources for much of the information which indicates this remark or others like it were probably not remarks actually made by Churchill. <br class="br">Disputed <br class="br">Variant: This is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put. <br class="br">Context: This is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put.

“Isn’t it time for us to stop taking this nonsense seriously? I regard panpsychists as I regard theologians: they both make stuff up, none of what they say is testable, and they both actually get paid to foist nonsense on the world.”

Jerry Coyne (1949) American biologist

Source: " Panpsychism again? https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2021/11/19/panpsychism-again/" November 19, 2021

“What is nonsense, and what is not, then, may be merely a matter of perspective.”

Gary Zukav (1942) American writer and revivalist

“Faced with the nonsense question 'What is the meaning of a word?' and perhaps dimly recognizing it to be nonsense, we are nevertheless not inclined to give it up.”

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J. L. Austin23

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