--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only in the West did a philosophy develop…" description: "\"Only in the West did a philosophy develop that was not only no longer the love of wisdom but went so far as to deny the category of wisdom as a legitim..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_categories_only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develo_3219404.png" --- # Only in the West did a philosophy develop that was not… ![“Only in the West did a philosophy develop that was not only no longer the love of wisdom but went so far as to deny the category of wisdom as a legitimate form of knowledge. The result was a hatred of wisdom that should more appropriately be called ‘misosophy’ (literarily hatred of Sophia, Wisdom)…” quote by Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_categories_only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develo_3219404.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_categories_only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develo_3219404.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_categories_only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develo_3219404.png) > “Only in the West did a philosophy develop that was not only no longer the love of wisdom but went so far as to deny the category of wisdom as a legitimate form of knowledge. The result was a hatred of wisdom that should more appropriately be called ‘misosophy’ (literarily hatred of Sophia, Wisdom) rather than philosophy.” [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Western philosophy abandoned the pursuit of wisdom, treating it as illegitimate, leading to a contempt for true knowledge. **In simple terms:** Western thought rejected wisdom as valid knowledge. Key Takeaway Recognize the value of wisdom in any discipline. Themes philosophy wisdom Western thought critique knowledge Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - academic curricula - public discourse - personal belief systems Key Concepts Epistemology cultural critique intellectual history Questions to Reflect On - How does modern education treat wisdom? - Can wisdom be reclaimed in contemporary thought? A Different Perspective Wisdom can still be pursued outside formal philosophy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Misosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-misosophy-6046334/) [Categories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories/) [Deny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny/) [Did Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-philosophy-1374917/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Hatred Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred-wisdom-6046335/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Develop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-develop-6046336/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sophia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophia/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-philosophy-222655/) ## Related quotes > [It is a thoughtless and immodest presumption to learn anything about art from philosophy. Some do begin as if they hoped to learnsomething new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/it-is-a-thoughtless-and-immodest-presumption-to-learn-anything-about/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [My parents spent an awful lot of money sending me to the best possible schools, and I came out of my exams and thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/my-parents-spent-an-awful-lot-of-money-sending-me-to-the-best/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [I did not have any philosophy at all when I wrote the first novel. I was just wanting to capture experiences that I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-bajaj/i-did-not-have-any-philosophy-at-all-when-i-wrote-the-first-novel-i/) [Karan Bajaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-bajaj/) > [“Wisdom and philosophy never found out God; He makes Himself known to us through our needs, necessity finds Him out. I doubt much if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-and-philosophy-never-found-out-god-he-makes-himself-known-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even if I am but a pretender to wisdom, that in itself is philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/even-if-i-am-but-a-pretender-to-wisdom-that-in-itself-is-philosophy/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [“Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/music-is-a-higher-revelation-than-all-wisdom-philosophy/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [I despise a world which does not feel that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/i-despise-a-world-which-does-not-feel-that-music-is-a-higher/) [Ludwig Van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [“Truth and reality are two different things. Truth is nothing more or less than an expression of reality as you perceive it, while reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/truth-and-reality-are-two-different-things-truth-is-nothing-more-or/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [The delight we take in our senses is an implicit desire to know the ultimate reason for things, the highest cause. The desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/the-delight-we-take-in-our-senses-is-an-implicit-desire-to-know-the/) [Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/) > [Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/music-is-a-higher-revelation-than-all-wisdom-and-philosophy-music-is/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [I'm very physical. I'm extremely active, and I would love to do something a little more sexy and dangerous, a la Sophia Loren, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azita-ghanizada/i-m-very-physical-i-m-extremely-active-and-i-would-love-to-do/) [Azita Ghanizada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azita-ghanizada/) > [The pastoral labours of the archbishop of Constantinople provoked and gradually united against him two sorts of enemies; the aspiring clergy, who envied his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-pastoral-labours-of-the-archbishop-of-constantinople-provoked-and/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [My mother was a famous photographer for actresses, including Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and so many. I remember I went to school close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/my-mother-was-a-famous-photographer-for-actresses-including-sophia/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) > [Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/getting-ahead-in-a-difficult-profession-requires-avid-faith-in/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) > [As for Aliki - if you were to stand in the middle of Rome and say the name Sophia Loren, or Paris and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/as-for-aliki-if-you-were-to-stand-in-the-middle-of-rome-and-say-the/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) ## More by Seyyed Hossein Nasr > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [“In the Islamic world itself also there is a great crisis in he modern established universities precisely because the systems from the West have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-the-islamic-world-itself-also-there-is-a-great-crisis-in-he-modern/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [Muhammad was the exemplar ruler, exemplar father, exemplar warrior, and once you have a family, you have contentions, you have problems, human problems, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/muhammad-was-the-exemplar-ruler-exemplar-father-exemplar-warrior-and/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [Only man can stop being fully man. He can ascend above all degres of universal existence and by the same token fall below the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/only-man-can-stop-being-fully-man-he-can-ascend-above-all-degres-of/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [Muhammad sets the model for being a good statesman. He also sets the model for being a good warrior, for chivalry, of nobility, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/muhammad-sets-the-model-for-being-a-good-statesman-he-also-sets-the/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [“For anyone who understood the essence of modernism based on and originating in the secularizing and humanistic tendencies of the European Renaissance, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/for-anyone-who-understood-the-essence-of-modernism-based-on-and/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In fact, the machine doesn't have the consciousness we have, the free will that we have, and to surrender one's free will, not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-fact-the-machine-doesn-t-have-the-consciousness-we-have-the-free/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In Islam, we believe that it is God himself who is the ultimate guide - Al Hadi - one of the names of God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-islam-we-believe-that-it-is-god-himself-who-is-the-ultimate-guide/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [All Muslims stand before God and they are their own priests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/all-muslims-stand-before-god-and-they-are-their-own-priests/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [“Without the withering criticism by nominalism, medieval Christian philosophy and theology would not have relinquished their claim to the role of knowledge in discovering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-the-withering-criticism-by-nominalism-medieval-christian/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [The Islamic world is suffering not only because of external oppression but also because of the loss of its own dignity, of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-islamic-world-is-suffering-not-only-because-of-external/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [The human soul, provided it is pure and strong enough, can contact the unseen in waking life as well as in dreams: all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-human-soul-provided-it-is-pure-and-strong-enough-can-contact-the/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two thirds of what we call the Islamic world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spread-into-two-thirds-of-what-we/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [There is no religion in the world where there is a possibility of spiritual development outside of the context of that religion. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-no-religion-in-the-world-where-there-is-a-possibility-of/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [Justice is inseparable from truth in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/justice-is-inseparable-from-truth-in-human-life/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) [Explore all 99 Seyyed Hossein Nasr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) ## More Categories quotes > [...the number of saintly men has not yet risen to the level where the census makes them a separate statistical category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/the-number-of-saintly-men-has-not-yet-risen-to-the-level-where-the/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [As a politician - particularly as a politician in a coalition - you quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-davey/as-a-politician-particularly-as-a-politician-in-a-coalition-you/) [Edward Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-davey/) > [I've worked with jazz artists, country artists, classical artists, pop artists. I never wanted there to be categories, because when I was a kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcknight/i-ve-worked-with-jazz-artists-country-artists-classical-artists-pop/) [Brian McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcknight/) > [ I don't think in national categories. For me it \[policy\] is about concepts and substance. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/i-don-t-think-in-national-categories-for-me-it-policy-is-about/) [Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/) > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-don-t-need-to-complicate-all-the-reasons-behind-our-emotions-it-s/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [I put the truth out there, I put the historical facts into Hip Hop to show us how much history repeats itself and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/i-put-the-truth-out-there-i-put-the-historical-facts-into-hip-hop-to/) [Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/) > [I am devoting my lecture in this seminar to a discussion of the possibility that we are now entering a Jewish century, a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-a-siegel/i-am-devoting-my-lecture-in-this-seminar-to-a-discussion-of-the/) [Martin A. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-a-siegel/) > [A top World War II ace once said that fighter pilots fall into two broad categories: those who go out to kill and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-top-world-war-ii-ace-once-said-that-fighter-pilots-fall-into-two/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No, I don't like legend. I mean, I don't like the category. And to begin with, to me, a legend is something that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/no-i-don-t-like-legend-i-mean-i-don-t-like-the-category-and-to-begin/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [... the notions category and functor were not formulated or put in print until the idea of a natural transformation was also at hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saunders-mac-lane/the-notions-category-and-functor-were-not-formulated-or-put-in-print/) [Saunders Mac Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saunders-mac-lane/) > [Last guy I was interested in turned out to be an incestuous necrophiliac," she said. "So no, not currently dating, and definitely not doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/last-guy-i-was-interested-in-turned-out-to-be-an-incestuous/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Culture exists and evolves to relegate to habit categories of interactions the constant conscious reference to which would make human interaction impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/culture-exists-and-evolves-to-relegate-to-habit-categories-of/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-am-disappointed-by-this-controversy-surrounding-a-million-little/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) [Browse all 927 Categories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only in the West did a philosophy develop that was not only no longer the love of wisdom but went so far as to deny the category of wisdom as a legitimate form of knowledge. The result was a hatred of wisdom that should more appropriately be called ‘misosophy’ (literarily hatred of Sophia, Wisdom) rather than philosophy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seyyed Hossein Nasr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develop-that-was-not-only-no-longer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Categories" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develop-that-was-not-only-no-longer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_categories_only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develo_3219404.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_categories_only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develo_3219404.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_categories_only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develo_3219404.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only in the West did a philosophy develop that was not only no longer the love of wisdom but went so far as…” — Seyyed Hossein Nasr", "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": "Seyyed Hossein Nasr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Only in the West did a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develop-that-was-not-only-no-longer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/only-in-the-west-did-a-philosophy-develop-that-was-not-only-no-longer/#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 } } ] } ```