--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A mode of thought does not become…" description: "\"A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by attributing that label to itself, but by virtue of its content.\" — Alan Sokal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/alan-sokal-44922_critical_a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critic_2905041.png" --- # A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by… ![“A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by attributing that label to itself, but by virtue of its content.” quote by Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/alan-sokal-44922_critical_a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critic_2905041.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/alan-sokal-44922_critical_a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critic_2905041.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/alan-sokal-44922_critical_a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critic_2905041.png) > “A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by attributing that label to itself, but by virtue of its content.” [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critical thinking is defined by the quality of its reasoning, not by self‑labeling as critical. **In simple terms:** Critical thinking depends on content, not a label. Key Takeaway Evaluate ideas by their substance. Themes critical thinking philosophy logic intellectual honesty Mood analytical inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - academic debate - media analysis - policy making - personal decision making Key Concepts epistemology argumentation cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - What criteria do you use to judge a thought's criticality? - How does labeling affect your evaluation? A Different Perspective Labels can create false confidence without rigorous analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[An example of misattribution:\] If you don’t know the source of a quote, you can always make it sound better by attributing it to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakub-marian/an-example-of-misattribution-if-you-don-t-know-the-source-of-a-quote/) [Jakub Marian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakub-marian/) > [Scientific thought - indeed, any mode of thought, whether it be religious or philosophical or anything else - is just like the fashions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/scientific-thought-indeed-any-mode-of-thought-whether-it-be-religious/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Dreaming is a philogenetically older mode of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/dreaming-is-a-philogenetically-older-mode-of-thought/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [It is not my mode of thought that has caused my misfortunes, but the mode of thought of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/it-is-not-my-mode-of-thought-that-has-caused-my-misfortunes-but-the/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [“We have developed a more logical and discursive mode of thought. Instead of looking at a physical phenomena imaginatively, we strip an object of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-have-developed-a-more-logical-and-discursive-mode-of-thought/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Time is but a mode of thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/time-is-but-a-mode-of-thought/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [When the darkness is seen as a necessary prelude to the creative light, one is less likely to ascribe frustration to personal inadequacy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/when-the-darkness-is-seen-as-a-necessary-prelude-to-the-creative/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [While opponents label (Howard) Dean a throwback liberal, The New York Times recently noted that as governor, Dean cut income taxes, reformed welfare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/while-opponents-label-howard-dean-a-throwback-liberal-the-new-york/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [When the idea came up, (Newman's Own) I said, "Are you crazy? Stick my face on the label of salad dressing?" And then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/when-the-idea-came-up-newman-s-own-i-said-are-you-crazy-stick-my-face/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [Those are decisions only the Lord will make. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-are-decisions-only-the-lord-will-make-i-believe-the-love-of-god/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [How is it that labels like 'centrist' and 'moderate,' which common sense tells us should reflect the views of a majority of Americans, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehdi-hasan/how-is-it-that-labels-like-centrist-and-moderate-which-common-sense/) [Mehdi Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehdi-hasan/) > [I would be a huge hypocrite if I didn't tell you that at one time in my life I thought the way that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/i-would-be-a-huge-hypocrite-if-i-didn-t-tell-you-that-at-one-time-in/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [People who live in the post-totalitarian system know only too well that the question of whether one or several political parties are in power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/people-who-live-in-the-post-totalitarian-system-know-only-too-well/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) ## More by Alan Sokal > [Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the windows of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/anyone-who-believes-that-the-laws-of-physics-are-mere-social/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [“The relativists’ stance is extremely condescending: it treats a complex society as a monolith, obscures the conflicts within it, and takes its most obscurantist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/the-relativists-stance-is-extremely-condescending-it-treats-a-complex/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [“In this atmosphere of general discouragement, it is tempting to attack something that is sufficiently linked to the powers-that-be so as not to appear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/in-this-atmosphere-of-general-discouragement-it-is-tempting-to-attack/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [Why should self-indulgent nonsense - whatever its professed political orientation - be lauded as the height of scholarly achievement?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/why-should-self-indulgent-nonsense-whatever-its-professed-political/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [“Each religion makes scores of purportedly factual assertions about everything from the creation of the universe to the afterlife. But on what grounds can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/each-religion-makes-scores-of-purportedly-factual-assertions-about/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [“We have seen in this book numerous ambiguous texts that can be interpreted in two different ways: as an assertion that is true but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/we-have-seen-in-this-book-numerous-ambiguous-texts-that-can-be/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [And I'm a stodgy old scientist who believes, naively, that there exists an external world, that there exist objective truths about that world, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/and-i-m-a-stodgy-old-scientist-who-believes-naively-that-there-exists/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [“Thus, by science I mean, first of all, a worldview giving primacy to reason and observation and a methodology aimed at acquiring accurate knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/thus-by-science-i-mean-first-of-all-a-worldview-giving-primacy-to/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) [Explore all 9 Alan Sokal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) ## More Critical quotes > [People will pay a price for putting political obstruction over progress in a time that is so critical and urgent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/people-will-pay-a-price-for-putting-political-obstruction-over/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [Our critical day is not the very day of our death; but the whole course of our life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/our-critical-day-is-not-the-very-day-of-our-death-but-the-whole/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [But whether you stay or go, the critical decision you can make is to stop letting your partner distort the lens of your life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lundy-bancroft/but-whether-you-stay-or-go-the-critical-decision-you-can-make-is-to/) [Lundy Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lundy-bancroft/) > [As a businessperson, I dont have the power to change the government. That is in the hands of the political leaders. However, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadashi-yanai/as-a-businessperson-i-dont-have-the-power-to-change-the-government/) [Tadashi Yanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadashi-yanai/) > [It has never been more critical that a leader step forward to accelerate our understanding of cancer - and champion the effort to finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-dzau/it-has-never-been-more-critical-that-a-leader-step-forward-to/) Victor J. Dzau > [Pleasure is by no means an infallible critical guide, but it is the least fallible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/pleasure-is-by-no-means-an-infallible-critical-guide-but-it-is-the/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The critical question about regret is whether experience led to growth and new learning. Some people seem to keep on making the same mistakes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/the-critical-question-about-regret-is-whether-experience-led-to/) [Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/) > [Obama did organize a great large number of people and many enthusiastic people, what's called in the press 'Obama's Army.' But the army is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/obama-did-organize-a-great-large-number-of-people-and-many/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Too often we forget that social and political movements don't happen overnight. They don't bring change immediately - you have to build a critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/too-often-we-forget-that-social-and-political-movements-don-t-happen/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) Browse all 2,389 Critical quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by attributing that label to itself, but by virtue of its content.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Sokal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critical-simply-by-attributing-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Critical" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critical-simply-by-attributing-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/alan-sokal-44922_critical_a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critic_2905041.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/alan-sokal-44922_critical_a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critic_2905041.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/alan-sokal-44922_critical_a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critic_2905041.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by attributing that label to itself, but by virtue of…” — Alan Sokal", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Sokal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A mode of thought does not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critical-simply-by-attributing-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/a-mode-of-thought-does-not-become-critical-simply-by-attributing-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```