those intoxicated by the advance of knowledge so often become the enemies of freedom.

— F. A. Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty

Confidence in truth is perhaps the most important virtue solidified by the quest for truth in mathematics.

— Francis Su, Mathematics for Human Flourishing

The characteristic feature of the loser is to bemoan, in general terms, mankind’s flaws, biases, contradictions, and irrationality—without exploiting them for fun and profit.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Bed of Procrustes

Foucault objects to particular regimes of power not on moral grounds . . . but simply on the grounds that they are regimes as such, and so, from some vague libertarian standpoint, repressive.

— Terry Eagleton, The Illusions of Postmodernism

The man was Francis Bacon, his Great Idea was the scientific method, and he was the only crackpot in all history to claim that level of benefit to humanity and turn out to be completely right.

— Eliezer Yudkowsky, How to Actually Change Your Mind