“There is no idea so obscure that someone could not come to regard it as self-evident.”
Source: The Alienation of Reason (1966), Chapter Seven, Pragmatism and Positivism, p. 156
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Leszek Kolakowski45
Philosopher, historian of ideas 1927–2009Related quotes
“A large bomb obscures a lot of evidence.”
Steve Perry (1947) American writer
Source: The Vastalimi Gambit (2013), Chapter 18
Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821–1877) Confederate Army general
Forrest to his men, 1865. As quoted in May I Quote You, General Forrest? by Randall Bedwell.
1860s
Gregory Chaitin (1947) Argentinian mathematician and computer scientist
Thoughts on the Riemann hypothesis http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02985392 The Mathematical Intelligencer (December 2004) vol. 26, issue 1, pp. 4–7, quote on p. 4
Sam Harris (1967) American author, philosopher and neuroscientist
Sam Harris, "Is the Foundation of Morality Natural or Supernatural? – William Lane Craig vs. Sam Harris http://www.reasonablefaith.org/is-the-foundation-of-morality-natural-or-supernatural-the-craig-harris, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States – April 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk7jHJRSzhM&t=1m10s <br class="br">2010s
“There's no one so self-righteous as someone policing someone else's morality.”
Laurell K. Hamilton (1963) Novelist
Musings of Anita Blake; p. 627
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, Incubus Dreams (2004)
“Self-evident, adj. Evident to one's self and to nobody else.”
Ambrose Bierce book The Devil's Dictionary
Source: The Devil's Dictionary
Jerry Coyne book Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible
Source: Faith vs. Fact (2015), p. xv
John Rawls book A Theory of Justice
Source: A Theory of Justice (1971; 1975; 1999), Chapter I, Section 5, pg. 25
Alfie Kohn (1957) American author and lecturer
The Brighter Side of Human Nature: Altruism and Empathy in Everyday Life, 1990.