Coherence Quote by Brand Blanshard
““...reality is a system, completely ordered and fully intelligible, with which thought in its advance is more and more identifying itself. We may look at the growth of knowledge … as an attempt by our mind to return to union with things as they are in their ordered wholeness…. and if we take this view, our notion of truth is marked out for us. Truth is the approximation of thought to reality … Its measure is the distance thought has travelled … toward that intelligible system … The degree of truth of a particular proposition is to be judged in the first instance by its coherence with experience as a whole, ultimately by its coherence with that further whole, all comprehensive and fully articulated, in which thought can come to rest.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Essays in Metaphysics, 1934
Thought seeks to align with an ordered, intelligible reality; truth measures how closely ideas match that whole.
In simple terms: Truth is how close our ideas are to reality.
Key Takeaway
Aim for coherence with experience and deeper order.
Themes
philosophy
truth
knowledge
coherence
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- academic research
- scientific inquiry
- personal reflection
- spiritual contemplation
Key Concepts
metaphysics
epistemology
ontology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you test whether a belief aligns with reality?
- What limits our ability to fully comprehend the whole?
A Different Perspective
Truth is provisional; complete alignment may be unattainable.
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