Able Quote by Arthur Schopenhauer
“The auspices for philosophy are bad if, when proceeding ostensibly on the investigation of truth, we start saying farewell to all uprightness, honesty and sincerity, and are intent only on passing ourselves off for what we are not. We then assume, like those three sophists [Fichte, Schelling and Hegel], first a false pathos, then an affected and lofty earnestness, then an air of infinite superiority, in order to impose where we despair of ever being able to convince.”
About This Quote
Philosophy loses integrity when it abandons honesty and pretends superiority, resembling sophistic rhetoric rather than sincere truth‑seeking.
In simple terms: Philosophy must stay honest, not pretentious.
Key Takeaway
Maintain intellectual integrity.
Themes
philosophy
ethics
truth
Mood
serious
reflective
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- academic discourse
- public debates
- personal belief systems
Key Concepts
sincerity
intellectual humility
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you ensure honesty in your pursuits?
- What temptations lead to pretentiousness?
A Different Perspective
Intellectual arrogance can alienate audiences.
![“[T]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres.” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be6/arthur-schopenhauer-226_addresses_t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between_32897.jpg)
![“[Materialism] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism, to chemism, to polarity, to the vegetable and to the animal kingdom. And if we suppose this to have been done, the last link in the chain would be…” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88c/arthur-schopenhauer-226_animal-kingdom_materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-s_50402.jpg)
