Every man is apt to form his notions of things difficult to be apprehended,
or less familiar, from their analogy to things which are more familiar.
Thus, if a man bred to the seafaring life, and accustomed to think and talk
only of matters relating to navigation, enters into discourse upon any other
subject; it is well known, that the language and the notions proper to his
own profession are infused into every subject, and all things are measured
by the rules of navigation: and if he should take it into his head to
philosophize concerning the faculties of the mind, it cannot be doubted,
but he would draw his notions from the fabric of the ship, and would find
in the mind, sails, masts, rudder, and compass.
-- Thomas Reid, "An Inquiry into the Human Mind", 1764
or less familiar, from their analogy to things which are more familiar.
Thus, if a man bred to the seafaring life, and accustomed to think and talk
only of matters relating to navigation, enters into discourse upon any other
subject; it is well known, that the language and the notions proper to his
own profession are infused into every subject, and all things are measured
by the rules of navigation: and if he should take it into his head to
philosophize concerning the faculties of the mind, it cannot be doubted,
but he would draw his notions from the fabric of the ship, and would find
in the mind, sails, masts, rudder, and compass.
-- Thomas Reid, "An Inquiry into the Human Mind", 1764
Related:
- We laugh at the Indian philosopher, who to account for the support
of the earth,
contrived the hypothesis of a huge elephant, and to... - And it does matter. An honest man or woman is an honest man or woman more
because he or she is honest in the small,
everyday things that "don't matter" individually, but... - MFTL /M-F-T-L/
[abbreviation: `My Favorite Toy Language']
1.
adj. Describes a talk on a programming language design... - The world, and whatever that be which we call the heavens,
by the vault of which all things are enclosed, we must... - It is thus necessary that the individual should finally come to realize
that his own ego is of no importance in comparison with the existence
of his nation;
that the position of the individual ego is conditioned... - Well, he thought, since neither Aristotilian Logic nor the disciplines
of Science seemed to offer much hope,
it's time to go beyond them... Drawing a few deep... - IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard
to the greater number of instances men find to be generally
inexpedient comes to be considered wrong,
wicked, immoral. If man's notions of right and wrong... - Nature (reality) is just as absolutist as chess, and her rules (laws)
are just as immutable (more so) -
but her rules and their applications are much, much...
From the same category:
- For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
"It might have been!" -- John Greenleaf Whittier (1807... - You have a reputation for being thoroughly reliable and trustworthy.
A pity that it's totally undeserved... - It now costs more to amuse a child than it once did
to educate his father... - Wanted: GE 645.
Can substitute with DEC PDP-7... - All my friends are getting married,
Yes, they're all growing old,
They're all staying home on the weekend, They're all...
