--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I argue is that philosophers have had a…" description: "\"I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to present a kind of mystical view of the powers of reflection. Unreflective belief acquisition is see..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg" --- # I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to… ![“I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to present a kind of mystical view of the powers of reflection. Unreflective belief acquisition is seen in mechanistic terms, but when philosophers talk about reflection, it is as if reflective processes are not bound by the kinds of limitations…” quote by Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg) > “I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to present a kind of mystical view of the powers of reflection. Unreflective belief acquisition is seen in mechanistic terms, but when philosophers talk about reflection, it is as if reflective processes are not bound by the kinds of limitations which inevitably arise from being embedded within the same causal structure which governs unreflective belief acquisition.” [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Philosophers often treat reflection as a magical, unlimited faculty, ignoring that it operates within the same causal constraints as ordinary belief formation. **In simple terms:** Reflection is portrayed as limitless, but it shares the same limits as other mental processes. Key Takeaway Recognize that reflective thinking is subject to the same biases and constraints as non‑reflective thought. Themes philosophy epistemology mind cognition limits Mood analytical critical skeptical Type philosophical theoretical When to use this quote - academic debate - critical thinking workshops - personal decision‑making - self‑analysis Key Concepts metacognition causality bias reflection Questions to Reflect On - How do your own reflective practices reveal hidden biases? - Can reflection be truly free from causal constraints? A Different Perspective Reflection cannot escape the causal structure that shapes all mental activity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquisition/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Limitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limitation/) [Mystical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Self-Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-2/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) ## Related quotes > [The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The idea that we should check on our unreflective belief acquisition sounds great, but we need to know whether the processes of reflection which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-idea-that-we-should-check-on-our-unreflective-belief-acquisition/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [When we recognise that reflective processes are no more outside the causal net than unreflective processes, and that they are bound by similar constraints,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-we-recognise-that-reflective-processes-are-no-more-outside-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Ethologists thus have an interest in looking at these capacities for the reliable acquisition of belief, and it is not surprising that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-looking-at-these-capacities-for/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [“I was trained as a philosopher never to put philosophers and their ideas into historical contexts, since historical context has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/i-was-trained-as-a-philosopher-never-to-put-philosophers-and-their-2/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [The philosophers talk across the centuries exclusively to one another, hermetically sealed from any influences derived from non-philosophical discourse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/the-philosophers-talk-across-the-centuries-exclusively-to-one-another/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [Philosophers talk about truth and falsehood. People in life talk about payoff, exposure, and consequences (risks and rewards), hence fragility and antifragility. And sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/philosophers-talk-about-truth-and-falsehood-people-in-life-talk-about/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The philosophers talk to you about the dignity of man, and they tempt you to pride, or they talk to you about the misery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-philosophers-talk-to-you-about-the-dignity-of-man-and-they-tempt/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“I was happy, but happy is an adult word. You don't have to ask a child about happy, you see it. They are or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-was-happy-but-happy-is-an-adult-word-you-don-t-have-to-ask-a-child/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [When philosophers talk about reason they often have in mind Having been in the business of philosophy more than half my life, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-anthony-appiah/when-philosophers-talk-about-reason-they-often-have-in-mind-having/) [Kwame Anthony Appiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-anthony-appiah/) > [When artists and philosophers talk only amongst themselves, they ignore the potential of popular culture to become a variety of dialogues with and between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/when-artists-and-philosophers-talk-only-amongst-themselves-they/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [The various processes of belief acquisition which are native to a species include ones which may allow for the reliable pick-up of information, which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-various-processes-of-belief-acquisition-which-are-native-to-a/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I'm motivated by injustice, which is embedded and constant and wrong - not by a vernacular soundboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-richards/i-m-motivated-by-injustice-which-is-embedded-and-constant-and-wrong/) [Amy Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-richards/) > [At the heart of the gay marriage argument is an untruth: unions of two men or women are not the same as unions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-gallagher/at-the-heart-of-the-gay-marriage-argument-is-an-untruth-unions-of-two/) [Maggie Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-gallagher/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) ## More by Hilary Kornblith > [I think that when I first suggested the idea that knowledge should be viewed as a natural kind, many people thought this was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-think-that-when-i-first-suggested-the-idea-that-knowledge-should-be/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation speaks for itself. (Which is not to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories-have-a-fine-track-record-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I am quite wedded to the view that epistemologists should concern themselves with knowledge rather than our concept of knowledge. 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Although the experimental philosophers and I are certainly in agreement about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-kind-of-approach-i-take-is-different-from-much-of-experimental/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The fact that we have been able to develop a successful science, which issues in ever more accurate predictions and broader explanations, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-develop-a-successful-science-which/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [By putting the first-person point of view in a naturalistic perspective, I believe that we may genuinely come to understand it for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/by-putting-the-first-person-point-of-view-in-a-naturalistic/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [When I got to college, I planned to be a math major, and, in addition to signing up for some math courses, I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-i-got-to-college-i-planned-to-be-a-math-major-and-in-addition-to/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [When reflection is thereby demystified, I believe that the temptation to view human knowledge as different in kind from animal knowledge is undermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-reflection-is-thereby-demystified-i-believe-that-the-temptation/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Internalist approaches to epistemology, I believe, have a great deal of intuitive appeal. Internalists believe that the features in virtue of which a belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/internalist-approaches-to-epistemology-i-believe-have-a-great-deal-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [What we need to do, however, is figure out what our best available theories of the mind suggest about epistemological issues, while we recognise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/what-we-need-to-do-however-is-figure-out-what-our-best-available/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I largely defer to the cognitive ethologists. I believe that the arguments that they make on this score are extremely persuasive. More than this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-largely-defer-to-the-cognitive-ethologists-i-believe-that-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Rather, although belief may be adequate for explaining the behavior of individual animals - an animal which believes that p will behave no differently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/rather-although-belief-may-be-adequate-for-explaining-the-behavior-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Explore all 62 Hilary Kornblith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ## More Acquisition quotes > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. Anders Ericsson > [ No one suffers so much as he \[the genius\] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius-with-the-people-and-therefore/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personal-happiness-lies-in-knowing-that-life-is-not-a-checklist-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We may... affirm that the balance of power in a society accompanies the balance of property in land. The only possible way, then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-may-affirm-that-the-balance-of-power-in-a-society-accompanies-the/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Learning to play the guitar is a combination of mental and motor skill acquisition. And to develop motor skill, repetition is essential... Whenever musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-roberts/learning-to-play-the-guitar-is-a-combination-of-mental-and-motor/) [Howard Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-roberts/) > [All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milarepa/all-worldly-pursuits-have-but-one-unavoidable-and-inevitable-end/) [Milarepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milarepa/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Accounting consequences do not influence our operating or capital-allocation decisions. 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