“Absurdity is one of the most human things about us: a manifestation of our most advanced and interesting characteristics.”

— Thomas Nagel

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Thomas Nagel 10

American philosopher 1937

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Context: I think that one of our most important tasks is to convince others that there's nothing to fear in difference; that difference, in fact, is one of the healthiest and most invigorating of human characteristics without which life would become meaningless. Here lies the power of the liberal way: not in making the whole world Unitarian, but in helping ourselves and others to see some of the possibilities inherent in viewpoints other than one's own; in encouraging the free interchange of ideas; in welcoming fresh approaches to the problems of life; in urging the fullest, most vigorous use of critical self-examination.