In order to think and infer it is necessary to assume…
““In order to think and infer it is necessary to assume beings: logic handles only formulas for what remains the same. That is why this assumption would not be a proof of reality: 'beings' are part of our perspective. ... The fictitious world of subject, substance, 'reason,' etc., is needed-: there is in us a power to order, simplify, falsify, artificially distinguish. ... What then is truth? A moveable host of metaphors, metonomies, and anthropomorphisms: in short, a sum of human relations which have been poetically and rhetorically intensified, transferred, and embellished, and which, after long usage, seem to a people to be fixed, canonical, and binding. Truths are illusions which we have forgotten are illusions; they are metaphors that have become worn out and have been drained of sensuous force,””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Truth is seen as a mutable collection of metaphors shaped by human perspective rather than an objective constant.
In simple terms: Truth is a human-made metaphor, not fixed reality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize truth’s fluid, constructed nature.
Themes
philosophy
epistemology
language
relativism
Mood
reflective
skeptical
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- academic discourse
- critical essays
- philosophical debates
- teaching philosophy
- writing
Key Concepts
metaphor
construction
perspective
truth
reality
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we navigate decisions when truth is seen as constructed?
- Can we find stable foundations amid metaphorical truth?
A Different Perspective
Truth may be dismissed as mere illusion, undermining confidence in knowledge.