Frederick Copleston Quotes
Frederick Charles Copleston was an English Jesuit priest, philosopher, and historian of philosophy and the author of the standard English-language survey of Western philosophy, A History of Philosophy, in nine volumes published between 1946 and 1975. He spent much of his career at Heythrop College and at Gregorian University in Rome and held visiting chairs in the United States. The quotes below are attributed to Frederick Copleston, organized by topic.
Frederick Copleston on God
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Attributed to Frederick Copleston:
“The argument for the existence of God rests on the demand for sufficient reason.”
Frederick Copleston on Knowledge
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Attributed to Frederick Copleston:
“The history of philosophy is the slow and patient work of the human spirit.”
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Attributed to Frederick Copleston:
“To understand a philosopher we must enter his concerns from the inside.”
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Attributed to Frederick Copleston:
“Philosophy without history is shallow; history without philosophy is blind.”
Frederick Copleston on Time
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Attributed to Frederick Copleston:
“We must not measure the past by the standards of the present.”