Ernesto Grassi Quotes

6 Sourced Quotes

If Descartes' main aspirations are directed towards a first truth, it follows necessarily that the sphere of pure possibilities, and with it the sphere of probability, is excluded from philosophy. Thus Descartes ignores, for example, both the art of rhetoric and history, as fields in which the probable, rather than the truth prevails.

Ernesto Grassi
The defects of rationalistic, critical philosophy are much more important than they appear at first sight. By failing to take into account political faculties and the art of eloquence, this philosophy disregards two of the most important branches of human activity. … Vico formulates this idea clearly in De studiorum ratione: But this order of studies brings with it the disadvantage for young people, that in the future they will neither show intelligence in civil life, not be able to enliven a speech with characteristic colors and warm it with the fire of emotions.

Ernesto Grassi
The art of eloquence belongs to the realm of probability because it constantly directs its glance at the specific, variable psychic state of the audience.

Ernesto Grassi
The general opinion … is that the humanist tradition is primarily of literary and aesthetical significance rather than of philosophical significance. This view has its origin in statements of Descartes.

Ernesto Grassi
In Quintilian's expositions there appears a note of melancholy when he discovers that toward the decline of life, the ratio sneaks in gradually, choking up insight into the original.

Ernesto Grassi
Vico claims that the aim of philosophy is the problem of "finding," and he identifies the theory of "finding" with "topical philosophy. …

Ernesto Grassi