"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth"
- Umberto Eco
About this Quote
Umberto Eco's quote speaks to the concept that the world is a complex and mystical location, and that our efforts to understand it can often result in more confusion and mayhem. He recommends that the world is an enigma, a puzzle that can never be completely fixed. He likewise implies that our efforts to interpret the world as if it had an underlying reality can be misdirected and even harmful. This is since our analyses are typically based upon our own minimal point of views and experiences, and can cause misconception and dispute. Ultimately, Eco suggests that we ought to accept the world as it is, and not attempt to impose our own interpretations on it. By doing so, we can prevent the mistakes of trying to make sense of something that is eventually beyond our understanding.
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