Being true Quote by Michael Polanyi
“We cannot ultimately specify the grounds (either metaphysical or logical or empirical) upon which we hold that our knowledge is true. Being committed to such grounds, dwelling in them, we are projecting ourselves to what we believe to be true from or through these grounds. We cannot therefore see what they are. We cannot look at them because we are looking with them.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Personal Knowledge by Michael Polanyi, 1958
We cannot fully grasp the foundations of our knowledge because we use those very foundations to think, making them invisible to us.
In simple terms: We can’t see the basis of our knowledge because we think with it.
Key Takeaway
Recognize limits of self‑justifying beliefs.
Themes
epistemology
self‑reference
humility
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
inquisitive
When to use this quote
- academic research
- philosophical debate
- personal introspection
Key Concepts
foundationalism
reflexivity
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you test the grounds of your convictions?
- Can you think outside your own assumptions?
A Different Perspective
Our assumptions may be flawed despite confidence.
![“Though we [Humanists] take a strict position on what constitutes knowledge, we are not critical of the source of ideas. Often intuitive feelings, hunches, speculation, and flashes of inspiration prove to be excellent sources of novel approaches, new ways of looking at things, new discoveries, and…” quote by Fred Edwords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/28d/fred-edwords-80428_altered_though-we-humanists-take-a-strict-positi_2300891.jpg)
