"Every known fact in natural science was divined by the presentiment of somebody, before it was actually verified"
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
About this Quote
This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks to the power of intuition and the significance of trusting one's instincts. He recommends that prior to any clinical truth was proven, it was very first divined by someone's presentiment, or feeling. This indicates that the understanding of the natural world is not only available through empirical proof, but likewise through our own inner wisdom. Emerson's quote motivates us to trust our own impulses and to acknowledge the power of instinct in our lives. He recommends that the knowledge of the natural world is not just accessible through clinical evidence, but likewise through our own inner wisdom. By trusting our own impulses, we can acquire insight into the world around us and discover truths that might not be right away evident. Emerson's quote is a pointer that our instinct can be an effective tool in our lives, and that we need to not ignore its potential.
"But in Christianity, by contrast, the freedom of the children of God was also freedom from all important worldly interests, from all art and science, etc"
"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"