Sunday, June 16, 2024

Daniel Dennett: 'Surely' is a dangerous word in philosophy






From Anil Gomes's review of Daniel Dennett's final book, I've Been Thinking, in the London Review of Books:

One of Dennett’s most useful insights for anyone reading philosophy: stop whenever you see the word ‘surely’ – it is usually a sign that you are being nudged towards a conclusion without anything by way of support.

That's a maxim that can be applied in many other intellectual fields too.

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