--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it seems as though Descartes (once more…" description: "\"“it seems as though Descartes (once more influenced by ideas from previous philosophical traditions) may have slipped into thinking that an idea of X a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/simon-blackburn-14689_quote_it-seems-as-though-descartes-once-more-i_1264526.jpg" --- # it seems as though Descartes (once more influenced by… ![“it seems as though Descartes (once more influenced by ideas from previous philosophical traditions) may have slipped into thinking that an idea of X actually shares X. So an idea of infinity, for instance, would be an infinite idea.” quote by Simon Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/simon-blackburn-14689_quote_it-seems-as-though-descartes-once-more-i_1264526.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/simon-blackburn-14689_quote_it-seems-as-though-descartes-once-more-i_1264526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/simon-blackburn-14689_quote_it-seems-as-though-descartes-once-more-i_1264526.jpg) > ““it seems as though Descartes (once more influenced by ideas from previous philosophical traditions) may have slipped into thinking that an idea of X actually shares X. So an idea of infinity, for instance, would be an infinite idea.”” [Simon Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-blackburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Descartes conflated ideas with the objects they represent, leading to the mistaken belief that an idea of infinity is itself infinite. **In simple terms:** He confused mental concepts with the things they describe. Key Takeaway Distinguish between concepts and their referents. Themes philosophy epistemology infinity conceptual analysis Mood critical inquisitive Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - teaching philosophy - academic research - critical thinking - semantic analysis Key Concepts metaphysics logic language theory Questions to Reflect On - Do our mental models accurately reflect reality? - How can we test conceptual boundaries? A Different Perspective Ideas may not share properties with the things they denote, limiting their explanatory power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/descartes/) ## Related quotes > [“The mind travels more freely on this limitless expanse, the contemplation of which elevates the soul, gives ideas of the infinite, the idea?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-mind-travels-more-freely-on-this-limitless-expanse-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The progress of our soul is like a perfect poem. It has an infinite idea which, once realised, makes all movements full of meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-progress-of-our-soul-is-like-a-perfect-poem-it-has-an-infinite/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [For someone who claimed to have found the true method for seeking reliable knowledge, it is remarkable how wrong Descartes was about so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/for-someone-who-claimed-to-have-found-the-true-method-for-seeking/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [“logic limits love, which may be why Descartes never married.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/logic-limits-love-which-may-be-why-descartes-never-married/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Descartes had somehow managed to use skepticism in service of orthodoxy; he preserved crucial shards of church doctrine—the immortal soul, for starters—while buying intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/descartes-had-somehow-managed-to-use-skepticism-in-service-of/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“Descartes walks into a bar, and the bartender asks "Would you like a beer?" Descartes replies, "I think not" and poof! he vanishes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various/descartes-walks-into-a-bar-and-the-bartender-asks-would-you-like-a/) Various > [Descartes is rightly regarded as the father of modern philosophy primarily and generally because he helped the faculty of reason to stand on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/descartes-is-rightly-regarded-as-the-father-of-modern-philosophy/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/agnosticism-in-fact-is-not-a-creed-but-a-method-the-essence-of-which-2/) [Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/) > [Perhaps people need to understand some history here. 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And by doing so it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-blackburn/this-doctrine-that-of-the-ghost-in-the-machine-strictly-separates-the/) [Simon Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-blackburn/) > [Respect, of course is a tricky term. I may respect your gardening by just letting you get on with it. Or, I may respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-blackburn/respect-of-course-is-a-tricky-term-i-may-respect-your-gardening-by/) [Simon Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-blackburn/) > [“belief is to knowledge as shadow is to original”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-blackburn/belief-is-to-knowledge-as-shadow-is-to-original/) [Simon Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-blackburn/) > [“So the middle-ground answer reminds us that reflection is continuous with practice, and our practice can go worse or better according to the value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-blackburn/so-the-middle-ground-answer-reminds-us-that-reflection-is-continuous/) [Simon Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-blackburn/) [Explore all 45 Simon Blackburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-blackburn/) ## More Descartes quotes > [It may be said that the conceptions of differential quotient and integral, which in their origin certainly go back to Archimedes, were introduced into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophus-lie/it-may-be-said-that-the-conceptions-of-differential-quotient-and/) Sophus Lie > [It is actually a nice question how far Descartes himself endorses the monological and metaphysically dualistic theory of mind associated with his name and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-is-actually-a-nice-question-how-far-descartes-himself-endorses-the/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [“Descartes gave sight to the blind. These saw the errors of antiquity and of the sciences. The path he struck out is since become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/descartes-gave-sight-to-the-blind-these-saw-the-errors-of-antiquity/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Starting from Descartes’ commitment to a few absolutely certain innate ideas and reason’s ability to determine some facts about reality a priori, Leibniz ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-braver/starting-from-descartes-commitment-to-a-few-absolutely-certain-innate/) [Lee Braver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-braver/) > [“For the mind depends so much on the temperament and disposition of the bodily organs that, if it is possible to find a means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/for-the-mind-depends-so-much-on-the-temperament-and-disposition-of/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Descartes's epistemology is a special case of Aristotle's virtue ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/descartes-s-epistemology-is-a-special-case-of-aristotle-s-virtue/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Perhaps people need to understand some history here. Rene Descartes, in the late 16th, early 17th century, postulated that body, mind, physicality and spirituality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/perhaps-people-need-to-understand-some-history-here-rene-descartes-in/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [“Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/agnosticism-in-fact-is-not-a-creed-but-a-method-the-essence-of-which-2/) [Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/) > [Descartes is rightly regarded as the father of modern philosophy primarily and generally because he helped the faculty of reason to stand on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/descartes-is-rightly-regarded-as-the-father-of-modern-philosophy/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Descartes walks into a bar, and the bartender asks "Would you like a beer?" Descartes replies, "I think not" and poof! he vanishes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various/descartes-walks-into-a-bar-and-the-bartender-asks-would-you-like-a/) Various > [“Descartes had somehow managed to use skepticism in service of orthodoxy; he preserved crucial shards of church doctrine—the immortal soul, for starters—while buying intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/descartes-had-somehow-managed-to-use-skepticism-in-service-of/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“logic limits love, which may be why Descartes never married.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/logic-limits-love-which-may-be-why-descartes-never-married/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [For someone who claimed to have found the true method for seeking reliable knowledge, it is remarkable how wrong Descartes was about so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/for-someone-who-claimed-to-have-found-the-true-method-for-seeking/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [A long time ago, Descartes sad, “I think, therefore I am.” But if you are not thinking, what?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungsahn/a-long-time-ago-descartes-sad-i-think-therefore-i-am-but-if-you-are/) [Seungsahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungsahn/) > [To do is to be. -Descartes To be is to do. - Voltaire Do be do be do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra/to-do-is-to-be-descartes-to-be-is-to-do-voltaire-do-be-do-be-do/) [Frank Sinatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra/) [Browse all 80 Descartes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/descartes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“it seems as though Descartes (once more influenced by ideas from previous philosophical traditions) may have slipped into thinking that an idea of X actually shares X. 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