immanuel kant He is one of the most influential philosophers in modern history, and his ideas continue to inspire researchers, teachers, and thinkers today. Among his many considerations, Phrases that go beyond academics and permeate everyday life, It raises questions about how to deal with change.
One of the expressions is “Sapiens most avidly attend, strutus namquam.”Its origins are related to the philosophical tradition that he himself reinforced. This sentence, written in Latin, is usually quoted when trying to distinguish the attitudes of people who learn and evolve compared to those who remain fixed in their beliefs.
Kant’s ideas always revolved around freedom, reason, and morality. His view of humanity was based on the idea that humans can grow through the use of reason, but that their potential can be limited by ignorance and lack of reflection.
Before unraveling the true meaning of this phrase, it’s worth analyzing why it continues to garner so much interest. The answer has to do with how we present the fundamental contrast between wisdom and foolishness, and how that distinction is reflected in everyone’s life, beyond historical context.
This phrase can be translated as: “A wise man can change, but a fool never changes.”“From a Kantian perspective, the emphasis is on: The capacity for transformation that distinguishes true wisdom. It’s not just about accumulating knowledge, it’s about being open enough to modify your actions, judgments, and ways of seeing the world.
he german philosopher He understood that humans should practice reason not only as a theoretical tool but also as a guide to moral life. In this framework, accepting that you can make mistakes and being willing to correct yourself are essential characteristics of wisdom.
Fools, on the other hand, remain trapped in the rigidity of their beliefs. Kant’s following words directly point out this stagnation. Being unable to change is tantamount to denying reason itself. For him, therefore, ignorance was not simply a lack of information, but an attitude that hindered the possibility of progress.
This contrast reveals the strength of the message. In other words, a wise man is not defined by infallibility, but by intellectual humility. Recognizing your limitations and opening yourself to new things is what separates the knowledgeable from the repeating mistakes.
Throughout his writings, Kant argued that: Autonomy is the core of human freedom. This means that we are able to review our beliefs in the light of reason, rather than relying blindly on tradition, authority, and dogma.
In that sense, the phrase in question condenses one of his deepest beliefs: wisdom is movement, and foolishness is immobility. Wise people change because they reflect. Fools don’t do that because they stick to what they already know, even when reality shows them they’re wrong.
In real life, this principle translates to: The potential to improve our relationships, work, and worldview. Change does not mean contradiction, it means growth. Kant saw rational flexibility as an essential virtue for achieving complete development.
In this way, Kant’s legacy becomes modern. In an ever-changing world, those who can adapt and learn from experience are the ones who embody true wisdom. The rest are forced into inertia and are unable to evolve.
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