--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I see two owls and then two more…" description: "\"When I see two owls and then two more owls and conclude that I see four owls, I am responding to reasons, and it better not be my choice to believe tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/nomy-arpaly-21717_belief_when-i-see-two-owls-and-then-two-more-ow_1467221.jpg" --- # When I see two owls and then two more owls and conclude… ![“When I see two owls and then two more owls and conclude that I see four owls, I am responding to reasons, and it better not be my choice to believe that two plus two always equals four. If I am a rational person, I will have that belief by necessity, whether I wanted to or not. So it's not that…” quote by Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/nomy-arpaly-21717_belief_when-i-see-two-owls-and-then-two-more-ow_1467221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/nomy-arpaly-21717_belief_when-i-see-two-owls-and-then-two-more-ow_1467221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/nomy-arpaly-21717_belief_when-i-see-two-owls-and-then-two-more-ow_1467221.jpg) > “When I see two owls and then two more owls and conclude that I see four owls, I am responding to reasons, and it better not be my choice to believe that two plus two always equals four. If I am a rational person, I will have that belief by necessity, whether I wanted to or not. So it's not that strange to discuss responding to reasons out of necessity.” [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rational belief in logical truths is compelled by reason, not by personal choice; we accept them out of necessity **In simple terms:** Logical truths are accepted because they are necessary, not chosen Key Takeaway Recognize that some beliefs are unavoidable due to logical structure Themes rationality logic necessity Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - mathematics education - legal reasoning - ethical deliberation - software verification - critical thinking Key Concepts epistemology philosophy of mind Questions to Reflect On - Why do we sometimes reject logical truths that seem necessary? - How can we reconcile emotional intuitions with rational necessity? A Different Perspective People may resist necessary truths when they conflict with emotions or biases ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Owl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owl/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [If I make a stupid decision but don't execute it because I'm, say, lazy, then I'm lucky, not rational. However, at other times a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/if-i-make-a-stupid-decision-but-don-t-execute-it-because-i-m-say-lazy/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [A serious writer is not to be confounded with a solemn writer. A serious writer may be a hawk or a buzzard or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/a-serious-writer-is-not-to-be-confounded-with-a-solemn-writer-a/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The eastern light our spires touch at morning, The light that slants upon our western doors at evening, The twilight over stagnant pools at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-eastern-light-our-spires-touch-at-morning-the-light-that-slants/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [I used to be a night owl. I no longer am a night owl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-bennett/i-used-to-be-a-night-owl-i-no-longer-am-a-night-owl/) [Haley Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-bennett/) > [She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/she-was-elusive-she-was-today-she-was-tomorrow-she-was-the-faintest/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [A wise old owl once lived in a wood, the more he heard the less he said, the less he said the more he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/a-wise-old-owl-once-lived-in-a-wood-the-more-he-heard-the-less-he/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [May your trails be dim, lonesome, stony, narrow, winding and only slightly uphill. May the wind bring rain for the slickrock potholes fourteen miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/may-your-trails-be-dim-lonesome-stony-narrow-winding-and-only/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Marriage is a wrestling match where you hold on tight while your mate changes into a hundred different things. The trick is that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/marriage-is-a-wrestling-match-where-you-hold-on-tight-while-your-mate/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [An owl sound wandered along the road with me. I didn't hear it--I breathed it into my ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/an-owl-sound-wandered-along-the-road-with-me-i-didn-t-hear-it-i/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls. We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat. George! Only joking, Mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-ginny-we-ll-send-you-loads-of-owls-we-ll-send-you-a-hogwarts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's right. You'll like Owl. He flew past a day or two ago and noticed me. He didn't actually say anything, mind you, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-s-right-you-ll-like-owl-he-flew-past-a-day-or-two-ago-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oft in the silence of the night, When the lonely moon rides high, When wintry winds are whistling, And we hear the owl's shrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/oft-in-the-silence-of-the-night-when-the-lonely-moon-rides-high-when/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/the-owl-he-was-saying-is-one-of-the-most-curious-creatures-a-bird/) [M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/) > [I come alive at night. I'm such a night owl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mpho-koaho/i-come-alive-at-night-i-m-such-a-night-owl/) [Mpho Koaho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mpho-koaho/) > [And if anyone knows anything about anything," said Bear to himself, "it's Owl who knows something about something," he said, "or my name's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-if-anyone-knows-anything-about-anything-said-bear-to-himself-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Nomy Arpaly > [I am an atheist. I don't think there's anything divine. Beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring - sure, but not divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-an-atheist-i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-divine-beautiful/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Other things being equal, ill will is worse than moral indifference (as in causing suffering for money vs causing suffering to cause suffering), though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/other-things-being-equal-ill-will-is-worse-than-moral-indifference-as/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Duties concern things that are voluntary. I do think that if you have a moral duty to bring me back the book you borrowed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/duties-concern-things-that-are-voluntary-i-do-think-that-if-you-have/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Sometimes I suspect that there are two prototypes of philosophers who write about humans - I call them "celestials" and "terrestrials", without implying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/sometimes-i-suspect-that-there-are-two-prototypes-of-philosophers-who/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [When you find yourself reluctant to sit on a chair because it had unexpectedly collapsed in the past you might shake your head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/when-you-find-yourself-reluctant-to-sit-on-a-chair-because-it-had/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [If I make a stupid decision but don't execute it because I'm, say, lazy, then I'm lucky, not rational. However, at other times a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/if-i-make-a-stupid-decision-but-don-t-execute-it-because-i-m-say-lazy/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [If I am told my loving you had to happen because of some Freudian stuff about my childhood, that might be degrading or deflationary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/if-i-am-told-my-loving-you-had-to-happen-because-of-some-freudian/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I am not committed in any way to the traditional concept of character - the concept of "character trait" as involving predictable behavior. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-not-committed-in-any-way-to-the-traditional-concept-of-character/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I don't think any of my desires or beliefs or other mental states are external to me. Many people will occasionally feel alienated from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-don-t-think-any-of-my-desires-or-beliefs-or-other-mental-states-are/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Incompatibilists will tell you that a work of art has no meaning unless the artists could have chosen to create a different one, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/incompatibilists-will-tell-you-that-a-work-of-art-has-no-meaning/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Though we think intrinsic desires tend to be pretty stable, we do not think they imply anything like the amount of predictability in behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/though-we-think-intrinsic-desires-tend-to-be-pretty-stable-we-do-not/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Suppose a student of mine writes in her exam that "morality is completely relative to culture, so nothing is absolutely right or wrong. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/suppose-a-student-of-mine-writes-in-her-exam-that-morality-is/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I don't think we are all irrational every time we fail to see through an argument in a book, but suppose it's true about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-don-t-think-we-are-all-irrational-every-time-we-fail-to-see-through/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I think it's ok to have wishes that conflict with each other - it's irrational to try to make them both come true, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-think-it-s-ok-to-have-wishes-that-conflict-with-each-other-it-s/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [The fact that only humans above a certain age can be morally virtuous, rather than babies or cats, means that that being moral requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/the-fact-that-only-humans-above-a-certain-age-can-be-morally-virtuous/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) [Explore all 28 Nomy Arpaly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. 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