Tuesday, September 07, 2004

And These Are Just From the Introduction

Yesterday, I began my reading of von Mises Human Action. I didn’t get past the Foreward, before my pen was in my hand, annotating and underlining.  Here are what I consider to be a few choice quotes, from just the Introduction.

"But even those thinkers whose inquiry was free from any theological tendency failed utterly in these endeavors because they were committed to a faulty method.  They dealt with humanity as a whole or with other holistic concepts like nation, race, or church."

"Choosing determines all human decisions."

"It is the task of a “sociology of knowledge” to unmask philosophies and scientific-theories and to expose their “ideological” emptiness."

"He should let the dogs bark and pay no heed to their yelping."

"Science does not give us absolute and final certainty.  It only gives us assurance within the limits of our mental abilities and the prevailing state of scientific thought."

"It is common with narrow-minded people to reflect upon every respect in which other people differ from themselves."

What further treats await me as I delve further into this work?  I cannot wait to find out, and I doubt that I shall, wait.

Posted by John Venlet on 09/07 at 02:46 PM
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