C. D. Broad Quotes
Charlie Dunbar Broad was a British analytic philosopher and a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge for nearly fifty years. He distinguished critical philosophy, the scrutiny of the categories we already use, from speculative philosophy, the attempt to articulate a world-view on the basis of all available evidence, and produced major works in both modes. The quotes below are attributed to C. D. Broad, organized by topic.
Browse C. D. Broad by topic
C. D. Broad on Knowledge
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Attributed to C. D. Broad:
“Philosophy is the criticism of categories.”
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Attributed to C. D. Broad:
“Speculative philosophy follows critical philosophy as systematization follows analysis.”
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Attributed to C. D. Broad:
“The aim of philosophy is clarity, not edification.”
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“From Critical and Speculative Philosophy (1924)”
I understand that it is the wish of the Editor of this collection of essays that each contributor should describe his own system of philosophy. Were I to interpret this demand literally I could not contribute anything at all, for two excellent reasons. In the first place, I have nothing worth calling a system of philosophy of my own, and there is no other philosopher of whom I should be willing to -
“In the meanwhile I retire to my well-earned bath-chair, from which I shall watch with a fatherly eye the philosophic gambols of my younger friends as they dance to the highly syncopated pipings of Herr Wittgenstein's flute.”
From the Preface to Mind and Its Place in Nature (1925) -
“From John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (1928)”
Take an eighteenth century English whig. Let him be a mystic. Endow him with the logical subtlety of the great schoolmen and their belief in the powers of human reason, with the business capacity of a successful lawyer, and with the lucidity of the best type of French mathematician. Inspire him (Heaven knows how) in his early youth with a passion for Hegel. Then subject him to the teaching of Sidg -
“If Hegel be the inspired and too often incoherent prophet of the Absolute, if Bradley be its chivalrous knight, McTaggart is its devoted and extremely acute family solicitor.”
From John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (1928) -
“From John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (1928)”
If Hegel be the inspired and too often incoherent prophet of the Absolute, if Bradley be its chivalrous knight, McTaggart is its devoted and extremely acute family solicitor. -
“From Five Types of Ethical Theory (1930)”
It is to be feared that Spinoza would not have been enlightened enough to appreciate the beneficient system of the Ph.D. degree, introduced into English universities as a measure of post-war propaganda, whereby the time and energy of those who are qualified to do research are expended in supervising the work of those who never will be. -
“There is no important problem in any branch of philosophy which is not treated by Kant, and he never treated a problem without saying something illuminating and original about it. He was certainly wrong on many points of detail, and he may well be wrong in his fundamental principles; but, when all criticisms have been made, it seems to me that Kant’s failures are more important than most men’s successes.”
From Five Types of Ethical Theory (1930) -
“From Five Types of Ethical Theory (1930)”
There is no important problem in any branch of philosophy which is not treated by Kant, and he never treated a problem without saying something illuminating and original about it. He was certainly wrong on many points of detail, and he may well be wrong in his fundamental principles; but, when all criticisms have been made, it seems to me that Kant’s failures are more important than most men’s suc
C. D. Broad on Mind
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“From the Preface to Mind and Its Place in Nature (1925)”
In the meanwhile I retire to my well-earned bath-chair, from which I shall watch with a fatherly eye the philosophic gambols of my younger friends as they dance to the highly syncopated pipings of Herr Wittgenstein's flute.
C. D. Broad on Politics
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“It is to be feared that Spinoza would not have been enlightened enough to appreciate the beneficient system of the Ph.D. degree, introduced into English universities as a measure of post-war propaganda, whereby the time and energy of those who are qualified to do research are expended in supervising the work of those who never will be.”
From Five Types of Ethical Theory (1930)
C. D. Broad on Truth
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Attributed to C. D. Broad:
“We must take seriously the possibility of paranormal phenomena.”
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Attributed to C. D. Broad:
“There is no question of philosophy that has been definitively settled.”