3 replies to this topic

[Nick]

Hi all,

I'm in the process of making my thesis text a little more airy by adding some famous quotes. But I wonder who first said "question everything". It's part of Descarte's philosophy but has anyone ever said it more explicitely? Google's not so helpful.

An alternative quote would be just as good. As long as means something along the lines of: forget everything you think you know, before trying to improve on things.

Thanks,

Nicolas

[SigKILL]

According to this page: http://www.brainyquote.com/ it is due to Maria Mitchell. However, if you search the same page you'll see that there are a bunch of similar quotes starting with `Question everything'.

I have a book on mathematical logic that proves in the introduction that if you question everything (or require everything to be stated explicitly) you will not be able to state or prove anything. So, to be able to learn something you need to know something.

[Nick]

SigKILL said:

According to this page: http://www.brainyquote.com/ it is due to Maria Mitchell. However, if you search the same page you'll see that there are a bunch of similar quotes starting with `Question everything'.

I have a book on mathematical logic that proves in the introduction that if you question everything (or require everything to be stated explicitly) you will not be able to state or prove anything. So, to be able to learn something you need to know something.

Interesting. I found the full context of that quote on another page: "We cannot accept anything as granted beyond the first mathematical formulae. Question everything else." So yeah obviously we can't question everyhing or we'll never get answers that don't need questioning. But that's the meaning I need in my thesis anyway.

It looks like she's just quoting Descartes though (and he probably got his ideas from some Roman or Greek philosophers)... :lol:

I'll just ascribe it to Mitchell. Thanks!

[karligula]

I think it was Socrates that said "question everything," wasn't it?

And a good quote from Edgar Allan Poe:

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."

Which isn't exactly questioning everything but does imply that reality isn't neccesarily what you think it is...