---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fact, of course, I hold that…"
description: "\"In fact, of course, I hold that propositions that contemporary philosophers would properly count as 'empirical' can be necessary and be known to be suc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/saul-kripke-38483_contemporary_in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositio_2830095.jpg"
---

#  In fact, of course, I hold that propositions that…

![“In fact, of course, I hold that propositions that contemporary philosophers would properly count as 'empirical' can be necessary and be known to be such.” quote by Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/saul-kripke-38483_contemporary_in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositio_2830095.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/saul-kripke-38483_contemporary_in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositio_2830095.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/saul-kripke-38483_contemporary_in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositio_2830095.jpg)

> “In fact, of course, I hold that propositions that contemporary philosophers would properly count as 'empirical' can be necessary and be known to be such.”

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Some propositions considered empirical can also be necessary and known as such.

**In simple terms:** Empirical statements can be necessary truths.

Key Takeaway

Recognize empirical necessity.

Themes

philosophy knowledge empiricism necessity

Mood

analytical academic

Type

philosophical scholarly

When to use this quote

- academic debate
- teaching
- research
- argument analysis

Key Concepts

logic epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes an empirical claim necessary?
- How does this affect scientific methodology?

A Different Perspective

Distinguishing empirical from necessary can be complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-philosophers-2779130/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Empirical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empirical/) [Empirical Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empirical-necessary-3651420/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophers Properly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers-properly-3651421/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Propositions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propositions/) [Propositions Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propositions-contemporary-3651422/)

## Related quotes

> [Eventually I realized that for contemporary philosophers conceptual analysis per se was an end in itself. For some, it was somehow supposed to lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-churchland/eventually-i-realized-that-for-contemporary-philosophers-conceptual/)

[Patricia Churchland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-churchland/)

> [It is not probable that the reader will be satisfied with any of these solutions, and contemporary philosophers, even rationalistically minded ones, have on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-not-probable-that-the-reader-will-be-satisfied-with-any-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Contemporary philosophers are facing problems that were unthinkable only one century ago, such as whether space and time are mutually Independent, whether there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-bunge/contemporary-philosophers-are-facing-problems-that-were-unthinkable/)

[Mario Bunge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-bunge/)

> [“Given that the 'common sense' of many contemporary philosophers is shaped and supplemented by ideas from classical physics, the locus of most metaphysical discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ladyman/given-that-the-common-sense-of-many-contemporary-philosophers-is-2/)

[James Ladyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ladyman/)

> [“Given that the 'common sense' of many contemporary philosophers is shaped and supplemented by ideas from classical physics, the locus of most metaphysical discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ladyman/given-that-the-common-sense-of-many-contemporary-philosophers-is/)

[James Ladyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ladyman/)

> [Now I do not myself share that superstitious reverence for the beliefs of common sense which many contemporary philosophers profess. But I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-broad/now-i-do-not-myself-share-that-superstitious-reverence-for-the/)

[C. D. Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-broad/)

> [In my view, only those who have had the courage to work through Lacan's anti-philosophy without faltering deserve to be called 'contemporary philosophers'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/in-my-view-only-those-who-have-had-the-courage-to-work-through-lacan/)

[Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/)

> [Most contemporary philosophers are conservative and eager to keep their jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-bunge/most-contemporary-philosophers-are-conservative-and-eager-to-keep/)

[Mario Bunge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-bunge/)

> [Contemporary philosophers, even the rationalistic minded ones, have on the whole agreed that no one has intelligibly banished the mystery of fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/contemporary-philosophers-even-the-rationalistic-minded-ones-have-on/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“Empirical reality becomes nature when we view it with respect to its universal characteristics; it becomes history when we view it as particular and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-nardin/empirical-reality-becomes-nature-when-we-view-it-with-respect-to-its/)

[Terry Nardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-nardin/)

> [Investing is not a natural science but rather a social science. So, it's never purely empirical; what you are trying to do is everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-browne/investing-is-not-a-natural-science-but-rather-a-social-science-so-it/)

[William Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-browne/)

> [ \[The aim of science is\] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/the-aim-of-science-is-to-explain-what-so-far-has-taken-to-be-an/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/)

[Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/)

> [A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. These considerations suggest that not the verifiability but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/a-system-is-empirical-or-scientific-only-if-it-is-capable-of-being/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## More by Saul Kripke

> [I wish I could have skipped college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/i-wish-i-could-have-skipped-college/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [Proper names are rigid designators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/proper-names-are-rigid-designators/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [Certainly the philosopher of 'possible worlds' must take care that his technical apparatus not push him to ask questions whose meaningfulness is not supported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/certainly-the-philosopher-of-possible-worlds-must-take-care-that-his/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [I want to read philosophers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/i-want-to-read-philosophers/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [Logical investigations can obviously be a useful tool for philosophy. They must, however, be informed by a sensitivity to the philosophical significance of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/logical-investigations-can-obviously-be-a-useful-tool-for-philosophy/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [I am somewhat uncertain whether there is a definite factual question as to whether natural language handles truth-value gaps. Nor am I even quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/i-am-somewhat-uncertain-whether-there-is-a-definite-factual-question/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [I just hate sitting and writing - I had to do that in school. Plus, I have terrible handwriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/i-just-hate-sitting-and-writing-i-had-to-do-that-in-school-plus-i/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [Let's call something a rigid designator if in every possible world it designates the same object, a non-rigid or accidental designator if that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/let-s-call-something-a-rigid-designator-if-in-every-possible-world-it/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [For a sensation to be felt as pain is for it to be pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/for-a-sensation-to-be-felt-as-pain-is-for-it-to-be-pain/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

> [Any necessary truth, whether a priori or a posteriori, could not have turned out otherwise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/any-necessary-truth-whether-a-priori-or-a-posteriori-could-not-have/)

[Saul Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

[Explore all 11 Saul Kripke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/)

## More Contemporary quotes

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/)

[Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/)

> [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/)

[Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/)

> [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [“And for God's sake, don't let her watch Cinderella. What kind of example is that? A mindless twit who can't even remember where she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/and-for-god-s-sake-don-t-let-her-watch-cinderella-what-kind-of/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/)

[Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/)

> [“No." I pulled away just enough to lock my eyes with his. His crooked smile sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-witter/no-i-pulled-away-just-enough-to-lock-my-eyes-with-his-his-crooked/)

[Stephanie Witter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-witter/)

> [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/)

[Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/)

> [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

> [I'm educating myself more about world poetry. I know a lot about contemporary American poetry, so I felt I needed to learn more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-m-educating-myself-more-about-world-poetry-i-know-a-lot-about/)

[Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/)

> [We have created indoor installations inside museums, like the Wrapped Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 1968, and not monumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/we-have-created-indoor-installations-inside-museums-like-the-wrapped/)

[Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/)

> [Going back to the noir fiction of the 30s, 40s and 50s. It's very contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/going-back-to-the-noir-fiction-of-the-30s-40s-and-50s-it-s-very/)

[Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/)

> [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [“The contemporary world has turned its back on the attempt and even on the desire to live reasonably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-contemporary-world-has-turned-its-back-on-the-attempt-and-even-on/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

> [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/)

[Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/)

[Browse all 1,586 Contemporary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In fact, of course, I hold that propositions that contemporary philosophers would properly count as 'empirical' can be necessary and be known to be such.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Saul Kripke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositions-that-contemporary/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Contemporary"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositions-that-contemporary/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/saul-kripke-38483_contemporary_in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositio_2830095.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/saul-kripke-38483_contemporary_in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositio_2830095.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/saul-kripke-38483_contemporary_in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositio_2830095.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In fact, of course, I hold that propositions that contemporary philosophers would properly count as…” — Saul Kripke",
                "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": "Saul Kripke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-kripke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In fact, of course, I hold...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositions-that-contemporary/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-kripke/in-fact-of-course-i-hold-that-propositions-that-contemporary/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
