"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it - even if I have said it - unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
The way I take it is that one should have a biased opinion against everything and should question it if the philosophy or evidence do not survive being scrutinised.
Your opinions?
2007-01-24 22:27:59 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It was Buddha who said it.
2007-01-24 22:33:18 · update #1
fourmorebeers: Quantum mechanics require a fairly large amount of knowledge beyond common sense anyway.
2007-01-24 22:34:50 · update #2
For me, my own common sense would dictate that all important information should be cross examined - if at least two different sources suggest the same thing then it's likely to be some-what correct.
Example:
Do you believe on face-value that a hotel is a good one because their brochure says so?
It would be common sense to scout about a bit, read reviews from independant sources, people who've stayed there etc, before coming to your own conclusion.
I think that the same should apply to knowledge of the world as well. Example - if a book says that all people share the same blood, yet both studies in medicine and biology have determined that we don't, it's more likely that the latter is correct.
At least that's the way I see it.
2007-01-24 22:43:21 · update #3
I agree, because that quote agrees with my own reason and my own common sense.
2007-01-24 22:36:47 · answer #1 · answered by Lee Harvey Wallbanger 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually no. No-one would ever believe quantum mechanics based on common sense...
EDIT:
Indeed.. common sense only gets us so far, based on what was intuitively knowable to early humans on the African Steppes. Much of knowledge today is the opposite of common sense INCLUDING evolutionary theory which is why some people have problems with it. Science is difficult for many people precisely because it is not based on common-sense.
However common sense can be expanded to knowing which sources to trust, but that is second order common sense.
And another example of why sayings from more than a couple of hundred years ago need to be re-examined and taken with a pinch of salt.
2007-01-25 06:33:03 · answer #2 · answered by fourmorebeers 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have good reason and your own common sense
you will know what to believe.
Just don't rush looking for a quick answer.
Or someone will give it to you and then you may be sorry later own.
2007-01-25 06:37:35 · answer #3 · answered by trailertrashsucks 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think a more constructive approach to the processing of neurolinguistic input is to apply Alfred North Whitehead's "All 'truths' are half-truths" principle.
2007-01-25 07:05:41 · answer #4 · answered by neuroaster 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, that makes no sense to me at all. Not everyone has "common sense". Not everyone thinks rationally.
"Believe nothing...unless there is evidence to support it" works better for me.
2007-01-25 06:49:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds reasonable!
2007-01-25 07:12:53 · answer #6 · answered by Screamin' Banshee 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I see it saying to trust your own ideas and opinions. You still have to learn stuff.
2007-01-25 06:36:06 · answer #7 · answered by God 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sound like a good philosophy to me.
2007-01-25 06:31:42 · answer #8 · answered by Nemesis 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
100%
I forget who said it. enlighten us
2007-01-25 06:32:02 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Nothing is True, Everything is permitted"
2007-01-25 06:32:26 · answer #10 · answered by Invisible_Flags 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋