And a try of translation: "Woe to reason, when language has enshrined meaningless expressions, false or bizarre judgments! Their constant repetition transforms them into habits of the ear or voice, and from then on, the terms acquire a title of credit which, removing all suspicion from them, causes them to be accepted blindly and without the slightest examination: such is the power of verbal habits that there is perhaps no absurdity that we cannot eventually convince ourselves of, by repeating the signs that express it often and for a long time!"
From the book: The Influence of Habit on the Faculty of Thinking
Alarc'h
in reply to Rich • • •What the French philosopher Maine de Biran said two centuries ago with greater elegance:
« Malheur à la raison, quand le langage a consacré des expressions insignifiantes, des jugements faux ou bizarres ! Leur répétition continue elle les transforme en habitudes de l’oreille ou de la voix, et dès lors, les termes acquièrent un titre de créance qui, éloignant d’eux toute suspicion, les fait passer aveuglément et sans le moindre examen : telle est la force des habitudes de la parole qu’il n’est peut-être pas d’absurdité dont on ne finit par se convaincre, en répétant souvent et longtemps les signes qui l’expriment ! »
Pierre Maine de Biran, Influence de l’habitude sur la faculté de penser, Paris, 1803, t. 2, p. 400
And a try of translation:
"Woe to reason, when language has enshrined meaningless expressions, false or bizarre judgments! Their constant repetition transforms them into habits of the ear or voice, and from then on, the terms acquire a title of credit which, removing all suspicion from them, causes them to be accepted blindly and without the slightest examination: such is the power of verbal habits that there is perhaps no absurdity that we cannot eventually convince ourselves of, by repeating the signs that express it often and for a long time!"
From the book:
The Influence of Habit on the Faculty of Thinking
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