Asylums Quote by C. D. Broad
“...By a 'silly' theory I mean one which may be held at the time when one is talking or writing professionally, but which only an inmate of a lunatic asylum would think of carrying into daily life. ... It must not be supposed that the men who maintain these theories and beliefs are 'silly' people. Only very acute and learned men could have thought of anything so odd or defended anything so preposterous against the continual protests of common sense.”
About This Quote
Source Philosophical Essay: The Nature of Scientific Theories, 1938
Some ideas seem absurd yet are defended by scholars, showing the thin line between genius and folly.
In simple terms: Even experts can hold bizarre ideas.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions, even scholarly ones.
Themes
critical thinking
skepticism
intellectual humility
Mood
curious
skeptical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic debates
- policy making
- medical research
- technology ethics
Key Concepts
philosophy
science studies
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we cling to odd theories?
- How can we balance openness with skepticism?
A Different Perspective
Such theories may hinder practical progress if taken too seriously.
![“All over the world kids and women [are] getting killed right now over beliefs, this is silly to get angry over. If it bothers you just don’t attend I’m down for anything positive but this doesn’t affect our parties too much. I’m not the promoter, I actually had nothing to do with the rules being…” quote by Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fd6/diplo-9004_agree_all-over-the-world-kids-and-women-are-ge_2066350.jpg)
![“We cannot possibly take them all into this country [asylum seekers] - it is a completely unrealistic expectation.” quote by Michael Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7f5/michael-howard-30918_asylum-seekers_we-cannot-possibly-take-them-all-into-th_202245.jpg)
