A Couple of Quotes

Here are a couple of quotes that fit in with the general ethic of this site. First, the words with which Karl Popper began his classic/notorious study The Open Society and Its Enemies:

If in this book harsh words are spoken about some of the greatest among the intellectual leaders of mankind, my motive is not, I hope, the wish to belittle them. It springs rather from my conviction that we must break with the habit of deference to great men. Great men may make great mistakes…¹

And a very short one from Bertrand Russell:

I suggest that philosophy, if it is bad philosophy, may be dangerous, and therefore deserves that degree of negative respect which we accord to lightning and tigers.²

Any suggestions to add to the above are welcome.


Note: I’d like to stress that the Popper quote is included as a principle that I support, and is not to be taken as a whole-hearted endorsement of his (at times) intemperate and uncharitable analysis of Plato.


CITATIONS:

1.  Karl R. Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies, Volume 1: The Spell of Plato, (revised 5th ed., 1966) New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1971, p.vii.
2.  Bertrand Russell, Philosophy and Politics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1947, p.7.

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