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The whole universe of science is built upon the world as directly experienced, and if we want to subject science itself to a rigorous scrutiny, and arrive at a precise assessment of its meaning and scope, we must begin by reawakening the basic experience of the world, of which science is the second-order expression.

— Maurice Merleau-Ponty Phenomenology of Perception (1945)

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More quotes by Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Socrates reminds us that it is not the same thing, but almost the opposite, to understand religion and to accept it.

In Praise of Philosophy (1963)

Montaigne [puts] not self-satisfied understanding but a consciousness astonished at itself at the core of human existence.

It is a great good fortune, as Stendhal said, for one “to have his passion as a profession.”

In Praise of Philosophy (1963)

What makes a philosopher is the movement which leads back without ceasing from knowledge to ignorance, from ignorance to knowledge, and a kind of rest in this movement.

In Praise of Philosophy (1963)

The world is nothing but 'world-as-meaning.'

Phenomenology of Perception (1945)

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The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.

H. P. Lovecraft The Call of Cthulhu (1926)

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.

Albert Einstein Moral Decay (1937)

Science and religion are two human enterprises sharing many features.

Freeman Dyson Infinite in All Directions (1988)

To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.

Henri Poincaré Science and Hypothesis (1901)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Maurice Merleau-Ponty (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.