Appearance and reality
"Appearance and Reality" by Francis Herbert Bradley is a philosophical work that delves into the nature of reality and the limitations of human perception. The book explores the concept of appearance versus reality, questioning whether what we perceive with our senses is truly reflective of the world around us.
Bradley begins by examining the nature of appearance, arguing that our perceptions are often distorted by our own biases and preconceptions. He suggests that our understanding of reality is limited by our subjective experiences, and that true knowledge can only be attained through a deeper understanding of the underlying principles that govern the universe.
Throughout the book, Bradley challenges traditional notions of reality, arguing that our perceptions are often influenced by societal norms and cultural beliefs. He suggests that true reality is elusive and can only be grasped through a process of introspection and self-reflection.
One of the key themes of the book is the idea that reality is not always what it seems. Bradley argues that our perceptions are often clouded by our own desires and fears, leading us to misinterpret the world around us. He suggests that true knowledge can only be attained through a process of critical thinking and self-examination.
"Appearance and Reality" is a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of reality and the limitations of human perception. Bradley's insights challenge readers to question their own assumptions and beliefs, and to consider the possibility that reality may be more complex and elusive than we initially perceive. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy, epistemology, or the nature of reality.
My book does not design to be permanent and will be satisfied to be negative, so long as that word implies an attitude of active questioning.
The chief need of English philosophy is, I think, a sceptical study of first principles, and I do not know of any work which seems to meet this need sufficiently. My scepticism is not meant to doubt or disbelief in some tenet or tenets. I understand by it an attempt to become aware of and to doubt all preconceptions. Such scepticism is the result only of labour and education, but it is a training that cannot with impunity be neglected. And I know no reason why the English mind if it would but subject itself to this discipline, should not in our day produce a rational system of first principles. If I have helped to forward this result, then, whatever form it may take, my ambition will be satisfied.
The reason why I have so much abstained from historical criticism and direct polemics may be briefly stated. I have written for English readers, and it would not help them much to learn my relation to German writers.
The reason why I have so much abstained from historical criticism and direct polemics may be briefly stated. I have written for English readers, and it would not help them much to learn my relation to German writers.
Besides, to tell the truth, I do not know precisely that relation myself. And, though I have a high opinion of the metaphysical powers of the English mind, I have not seen any serious attempt in English to deal systematically with first principles. But things among us are not as they were a few years back. There is no established reputation that now does much harm to philosophy. And one is not led to feel in writing that one is face to face with the same dense body of stupid tradition and ancestral prejudice.
Dogmatic Individualism is far from having ceased to flourish, but it no longer occupies the ground as the one accredited way of “advanced thinking.” The present generation is learning that to gain education a man must study in more than one school. And to criticize a writer of whom you know nothing is now, even in philosophy, considered to be the thing that it* is. We owe this improvement mostly to men of a time shortly before my own, and who insisted well, if perhaps incautiously, on the great claims of Kant and Hegel. But whatever other influences have helped, the result seems secured. There is a fair field for anyone now, I believe, who has anything to say. And I feel no desire for mere polemics, which can seldom benefit one's self, and which seem no longer required by the state of our philosophy. I would rather keep my natural place as a learner among learners.
Author: Francis Herbert Bradley
Dogmatic Individualism is far from having ceased to flourish, but it no longer occupies the ground as the one accredited way of “advanced thinking.” The present generation is learning that to gain education a man must study in more than one school. And to criticize a writer of whom you know nothing is now, even in philosophy, considered to be the thing that it* is. We owe this improvement mostly to men of a time shortly before my own, and who insisted well, if perhaps incautiously, on the great claims of Kant and Hegel. But whatever other influences have helped, the result seems secured. There is a fair field for anyone now, I believe, who has anything to say. And I feel no desire for mere polemics, which can seldom benefit one's self, and which seem no longer required by the state of our philosophy. I would rather keep my natural place as a learner among learners.
Author: Francis Herbert Bradley
Copyright: 1897
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