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“Experience seems to most of us, for instance, to lead to conclusions, but empiricism has sworn never to draw them.”

George Santayana

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Simplified Meaning:

When we go through things in life, we often try to learn from them and make judgments about what might happen next. For example, if someone touches a hot stove and gets burned, they learn the stove is hot and can decide not to touch it again. This process of learning from experience is natural for most people. However, the idea mentioned in the quote is about a way of thinking called empiricism. Empiricism is all about observing and testing things without jumping to conclusions too quickly. So, even if you touch the hot stove and get burned, an empiricist would keep observing and testing to understand more about why the stove is hot, rather than just concluding it’s always bad to touch stoves. This mindset can help you stay open-minded and curious, constantly seeking truth through careful observation and evidence.

Related tags
Conclusions Critical thinking Empiricism Experience Knowledge Observation Philosophy Reasoning Science Understanding
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