Absolutely Quote by Tom Stoppard
“I once did a radio program with a famous materialist, that is to say a scientist who believed that absolutely everything was physical and that all emotions were reductive to little electrical impulses in your neurons. And I found that I didn't believe that. But what the emotions really are, I don't have an alternative theory.”
About This Quote
Source Play: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, 1966
The speaker doubts materialist reduction of emotions, yet lacks an alternative explanation for feeling.
In simple terms: Emotions feel beyond pure physics.
Key Takeaway
Accept mystery of feelings.
Themes
philosophy
mind
science
skepticism
Mood
contemplative
curious
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- psychology
- neuroscience
- artistic expression
Key Concepts
reductionism
consciousness
emotional experience
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to truly feel?
- Can science ever fully explain emotions?
A Different Perspective
Physicalism may overlook subjective depth.
