Inspiring Quote by Michael J. Sandel
““philosophy teaches us and unsettles us by confronting us with what we already know; there's an irony: the difficulty consisted in this course is that it teaches what you already know; it works by taking what we know from familiar and unquestioned settings and making it strange. that's how the examples work. ... philosophy estranges us, not by providing us with new information, but by inviting and provoking a new way of seeing. The risk is once the familiar turns strange it is never quiet the same again. Self-knowledge is like a lost innocence, however unsettling, you find it; it can never be unthought or unknown.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel, 2009
Philosophy makes familiar ideas feel strange, prompting deeper self‑knowledge and a lasting shift in perspective.
In simple terms: Philosophy unsettles us, revealing new ways to see what we already know.
Key Takeaway
Embrace discomfort to gain deeper insight.
Themes
philosophy
self‑knowledge
perspective
discomfort
Mood
thoughtful
provocative
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- college courses
- personal reflection
- therapy
- creative brainstorming
Key Concepts
epistemology
critical thinking
existential reflection
Questions to Reflect On
- How does making the familiar strange change your self‑view?
- What benefits arise from sustained discomfort?
A Different Perspective
The unsettling effect may cause anxiety or resistance.
![“[We need not think] that there is any Contradiction, when Philosophy teaches that to be done by Nature; which Religion, and the Sacred Scriptures, teach us to be done by God: no more, than to say, That the balance of a Watch is moved by the next Wheel, is to deny that Wheel, and the rest, to be…” quote by Nehemiah Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/004/nehemiah-grew-79090_balance_we-need-not-think-that-there-is-any-cont_425869.jpg)
![“[T]he commitment to a framework neutral among ends can be seen as a kind of value [...] but its value consists precisely in its refusal to affirm a preferred way of life or conception of the good.” quote by Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/538/michael-j-sandel-32311_good-life_t-he-commitment-to-a-framework-neutral-a_64582.jpg)
