the work of the intellectual

[threeplusfire]

"The work of an intellectual is not to mould the political will of
others; it is, through the analyses that he does in his own field,
to re-examine evidence and assumptions, to shake up habitual ways
of working and thinking."
-- Michel Foucault, English historian and philosopher

"I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my
mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not my exposure to
founts of wisdom and knowledge."
-- Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer

"You must stick to your convictions, but be ready to abandon your assumptions."
-- Denis Waitley, American motivational speaker

"Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no proof.
Therefore, in any argument, examine the assumptions."
-- Eric Temple Bell, Scottish-American mathematician, educator, writer