--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What was tortuously secured by complex…" description: "\"What was tortuously secured by complex argument becomes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget its provenance. We don’t see it, because we ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/rebecca-goldstein-4026_argument_what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-a_1470939.jpg" --- # What was tortuously secured by complex argument becomes… ![“What was tortuously secured by complex argument becomes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget its provenance. We don’t see it, because we see with it.” quote by Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/rebecca-goldstein-4026_argument_what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-a_1470939.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/rebecca-goldstein-4026_argument_what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-a_1470939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/rebecca-goldstein-4026_argument_what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-a_1470939.jpg) > “What was tortuously secured by complex argument becomes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget its provenance. We don’t see it, because we see with it.” [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Complex arguments can become so ingrained that they feel obvious, hiding their origin and making us unaware of the reasoning behind them. **In simple terms:** Ideas become hidden when they feel natural. Key Takeaway Question assumptions behind familiar ideas. Themes cognition perception knowledge intuition Mood reflective critical inquisitive Type philosophical analytical educational When to use this quote - academic research - everyday decision making - policy analysis - education - media consumption Key Concepts epistemology cognitive bias conceptual blending Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs seem self‑evident but lack scrutiny? - How does hidden provenance affect judgment? A Different Perspective Even obvious ideas can be flawed if their foundations are ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Complex Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-argument-5337436/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-it/) [Forget Provenance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-provenance-5337434/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Intuition Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition-obvious-5337435/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Secured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secured/) [Shared Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shared-intuition-5337433/) ## Related quotes > [If there is such a thing as philosophical progress, then why - unlike scientific progress - is it so invisible? Philosophical progress is invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-philosophical-progress-then-why-unlike/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [For the Order wishes to be secret and to work in silence; for thus it is better secured from the oppression of the ruling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-weishaupt/for-the-order-wishes-to-be-secret-and-to-work-in-silence-for-thus-it/) [Adam Weishaupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-weishaupt/) > [The present generation finds itself the heir of a vast patrimony of science; and it must needs concern us to know the steps by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-whewell/the-present-generation-finds-itself-the-heir-of-a-vast-patrimony-of/) [William Whewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-whewell/) > [“Not by fitful efforts, but by constancy, is an end secured. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wortabet/not-by-fitful-efforts-but-by-constancy-is-an-end-secured-the/) [John Wortabet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wortabet/) > [Real, pure, unadulterated freedom happens when the resources of the gospel smash any sense of need to secure for myself anything beyond what Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/real-pure-unadulterated-freedom-happens-when-the-resources-of-the/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [It gives me pleasure to find that public liberty is effectually secured in each and all the policies of the United States, though somewhat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-stiles/it-gives-me-pleasure-to-find-that-public-liberty-is-effectually/) [Ezra Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-stiles/) > [And as we continue to improve our understanding of the basic science on which applications increasingly depend, material benefits of this and other kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-taube/and-as-we-continue-to-improve-our-understanding-of-the-basic-science/) [Henry Taube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-taube/) > [For the victor peace means the preservation of the position of power which he has secured. For the vanquished it means resigning himself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/for-the-victor-peace-means-the-preservation-of-the-position-of-power/) [Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/) > [Independence can only be obtained and secured by a nation that has its spirit raging with determination: independence or death!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sukarno/independence-can-only-be-obtained-and-secured-by-a-nation-that-has/) [Sukarno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sukarno/) > [Having secured my Indian actors, I started for Baltimore, where I organized my combination, and which was the largest troupe I had yet had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffalo-bill/having-secured-my-indian-actors-i-started-for-baltimore-where-i/) [Buffalo Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffalo-bill/) > [All the rights secured to the citizens under the Constitution are worth nothing, and a mere bubble, except guaranteed to them by an independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/all-the-rights-secured-to-the-citizens-under-the-constitution-are/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [The proper education of a man decides his welfare, but the interests of a whole family are secured by the correct education of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-q-cannon/the-proper-education-of-a-man-decides-his-welfare-but-the-interests/) [George Q. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-q-cannon/) > [I can be a horrible actor, but I make a move that makes a money I'm secured a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-meraz/i-can-be-a-horrible-actor-but-i-make-a-move-that-makes-a-money-i-m/) [Alex Meraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-meraz/) > [Spring comes with joyous laugh, and song, and sunshine, and the burnt sacrifice of the over-ripe boot and the hoary overshoe. The cowboy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wilson-nye/spring-comes-with-joyous-laugh-and-song-and-sunshine-and-the-burnt/) [Edgar Wilson Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wilson-nye/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More by Rebecca Goldstein > [Youth is not an essential, but rather an accidental property. Nobody is in essence young. One either ceases to be or ceases to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/youth-is-not-an-essential-but-rather-an-accidental-property-nobody-is/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [Plato dramatically puts the detachment of the philosopher from his time this way: to philosophize is to prepare to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/plato-dramatically-puts-the-detachment-of-the-philosopher-from-his/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [When you ask why did some particular question occur to a scientist or philosopher for the first time, or why did this particular approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/when-you-ask-why-did-some-particular-question-occur-to-a-scientist-or/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [“Freedom for me is a pain in the Buridan's ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/freedom-for-me-is-a-pain-in-the-buridan-s-ass/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [Those who share my heroes are, in the deepest sense, of my own kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/those-who-share-my-heroes-are-in-the-deepest-sense-of-my-own-kind/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [“one evangelical scientist who had felt his doubts falling away from him when he was hiking in the mountains and came upon a frozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/one-evangelical-scientist-who-had-felt-his-doubts-falling-away-from/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [Because of the failure of religion to offer satisfying answers to an increasing number of people, it's time for philosophy to address forcefully these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/because-of-the-failure-of-religion-to-offer-satisfying-answers-to-an/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [If we look at our attitudes consistently and work out the logical implications we're on the road to moral progress, moral understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/if-we-look-at-our-attitudes-consistently-and-work-out-the-logical/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [We may not need God to tell us where the world came from, but we need God to be able to live moral lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/we-may-not-need-god-to-tell-us-where-the-world-came-from-but-we-need/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [In order to refute a conclusion, you have to put forth the best possible argument for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/in-order-to-refute-a-conclusion-you-have-to-put-forth-the-best/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [Philosophical progress changes what we take to be "intuitively" obvious, and this change covers up the tracks of the laborious arguments that preceded the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/philosophical-progress-changes-what-we-take-to-be-intuitively-obvious/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [What one tries to force into a child against its own nature will never come to good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/what-one-tries-to-force-into-a-child-against-its-own-nature-will/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [Thinking is the soul speaking to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/thinking-is-the-soul-speaking-to-itself/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [What is remarkable about the Greeks - even pre-philosophically - is that despite the salience of religious rituals in their lives, when it came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/what-is-remarkable-about-the-greeks-even-pre-philosophically-is-that/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [In fact, it’s the very impersonality of impersonal knowledge that renders such knowledge the most ethically potent of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/in-fact-it-s-the-very-impersonality-of-impersonal-knowledge-that/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) [Explore all 116 Rebecca Goldstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) ## More Argument quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/) [Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) [Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What was tortuously secured by complex argument becomes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget its provenance. We don’t see it, because we see with it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Goldstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-argument-becomes-widely-shared/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Argument" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-argument-becomes-widely-shared/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/rebecca-goldstein-4026_argument_what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-a_1470939.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/rebecca-goldstein-4026_argument_what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-a_1470939.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/rebecca-goldstein-4026_argument_what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-a_1470939.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What was tortuously secured by complex argument becomes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget…” — Rebecca Goldstein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca Goldstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What was tortuously secured by complex...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-argument-becomes-widely-shared/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/what-was-tortuously-secured-by-complex-argument-becomes-widely-shared/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```