It may not have the virtuous ring of the golden rule, but the maxim "never say never" is one of the most important in ethics. Julian Baggini More Quotes by Julian Baggini More Quotes From Julian Baggini Constructive complaint requires only two things: that what you are complaining about should be different, and that it can be different. It sounds simple, but too often our protests fail this test. Julian Baggini simple sound two Talking about creating truth tends to alarm people, because truth is meant to be 'just out there'. It doesn't take much thinking to appreciate that we sometimes change truths on the ground - sometimes just by words. A new law will change what is possible. I think - perhaps because the paradigm we follow tends to be scientific, and all about discovery - the creative element of truth is one upon which we don't focus so much attention. This is particularly so in anglophone philosophy, perhaps because we associate it too much with those 'pernicious' continental trends. Julian Baggini appreciate philosophy thinking Looking out over the port of Dover, with the endless steam of boats coming in and out, every British citizen is reminded that belonging here has never been about blood or genes. It's simply about being at home on this discrete island and being aware of the privileges and responsibilities that brings. Julian Baggini responsibility islands home Stress means something different if it is the result of rewarding work rather than struggling to keep the family out of debt. Julian Baggini stress struggle mean The very act of questioning whether you exist proves you do, because you must be there for the doubt to be entertained in the first place. Julian Baggini questioning doubt firsts When you try to translate any kind of real-life problem into a neat logical form, you're almost always simplifying it. We need a kind of blend - we need to use not just tools of logic, which are important and valuable - I'm not denying that, but also tools of judgement, and of inductive and abductive reasoning which can also inform. Julian Baggini judgement important trying Seek first what is true and of value, and then whatever happiness follows will be of the appropriate quantity and, more importantly, quality. Julian Baggini quantity quality firsts Big sporting events and spectacles might give the national morale a shot in the arm, but they are too transient and taste-specific to stand as robust symbols of nationhood. Julian Baggini arms events giving True respect means taking other people's beliefs seriously and assuming they are adult and intelligent enough to be able to cope with it if you tell them, clearly and civility, why you think they are totally, utterly and disastrously wrong. Julian Baggini intelligent mean thinking I think the appropriate kind of skepticism is this: you've got to be asking questions all the time, you've also got to make sure that you're doing so in the spirit of genuinely wanting to find the answers - and that also means being open. I battle with this: I know I tend to be very skeptical and as a result, I veer towards the dismissive. But being aware of the tendency, I like to challenge my own skepticism and make sure it's not just knee-jerk. You need to be skeptical towards yourself as well. When you're only skeptical outwards you've got an unbalanced skepticism. Julian Baggini challenges mean thinking Christmas is a rare occasion when we are reminded that we have obligations to people we did not choose to be related to, and that love is not just a spontaneous feeling but something we sometimes really have to work at, with people we may not even much like. Julian Baggini feelings love-is people If there's one thing that makes me cynical, it's optimists. They are just far too cynical about cynicism. If only they could see that cynics can be happy, constructive, even fun to hang out with, they might learn a thing or two. Julian Baggini cynical fun two Perhaps the biggest myth about cynicism is that it deepens with age. I think what really happens is that experience painfully rips away layers of scales from our eyes, and so we do indeed become more cynical about many of the things we naively accepted when younger. Julian Baggini rip eye thinking Whatever the truth is about the extent to which truth is respected in the future, it is going to depend partly on what we do. More important than making predictions is doing things which help bring about this respect. Julian Baggini truth-is important helping Daily life is better when it involves interactions with real people who have a personal investment in their labour, like shopkeepers, than it is with someone 'just doing my job' or the infernal self-checkout machine. Julian Baggini real self jobs Dover's cliffs call to mind the Roman invasion; the Battle of Britain; our proximity to, yet difference from, mainland Europe; and international trade and exploration, both fair and exploitative. Julian Baggini differences mind europe Right and wrong are not simply matters of evolutionary impacts and what is natural. Julian Baggini impact matter natural From time to time, it is worth wandering around the fuzzy border regions of what you do, if only to remind yourself that no human activity is an island. Julian Baggini wandering-around borders islands Heathens are unredeemed outcasts from heaven who roam the planet without hope of surviving the deaths of their bodies. They may have values but they are not secured by any divine source. Yet we embrace this because we think it represents the truth. Julian Baggini body heaven thinking In my experience, those who make the biggest fuss about not spending much at Christmas are generally the ones who buy what they want and eat where they want 12 months a year. Julian Baggini months want years
