"But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even current philosophy"
- George Eliot
About this Quote
This quote by George Eliot speaks to the idea that human experience is often contradictory and does not always align with the words and philosophies of the time. This is since human experience is intricate and multifaceted, and can not be easily explained by the minimal language and philosophies of the present. Eliot suggests that human experience is paradoxical, suggesting that it is frequently incongruous with the words and approaches of the present time. This quote talks to the concept that human experience is ever-changing which it is difficult to totally comprehend it with the limited language and philosophies of today. It is just through the passage of time and the build-up of experiences that we can truly comprehend the complexities of human experience.
"I think philosophers can do things akin to theoretical scientists, in that, having read about empirical data, they too can think of what hypotheses and theories might account for that data. So there's a continuity between philosophy and science in that way"
"What I mean by photographing as a participant rather than observer is that I'm not only involved directly with some of the activities that I photograph, such as mountain climbing, but even when I'm not I have the philosophy that my mind and body are part of the natural world"
