"From all this it follows what the general character of the problem of the development of a body of scientific knowledge is, in so far as it depends on elements internal to science itself."

Character

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Character as articulated by Talcott Parsons. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Character provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Talcott Parsons

Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist of the classical tradition, best known for his social action theory and structural functionalism. Parsons is considered one of the most influential figures in sociology in the 20th century. After earning a PhD in economics, he served on the faculty at Harvard University from 1927 to 1973. In 1930, he was among the first professors in its new sociology department. Later, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Department of Social Relations at Harvard.

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More by Talcott Parsons

"But the scientific importance of a change in knowledge of fact consists precisely in j its having consequences for a system of theory."

— Talcott Parsons
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"It is that of increasing knowledge of empirical fact, intimately combined with changing interpretations of this body of fact - hence changing general statements about it - and, not least, a changing a structure of the theoretical system."

— Talcott Parsons
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"The implications of these considerations justify the statement that all empirically verifiable knowledge even the commonsense knowledge of everyday life - involves implicitly, if not explicitly, systematic theory in this sense."

— Talcott Parsons
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"It is probably safe to say that all the changes of factual knowledge which have led to the relativity theory, resulting in a very great theoretical development, are completely trivial from any point of view except their relevance to the structure of a theoretical system."

— Talcott Parsons
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More about Character

"I think self-knowledge is the rarest trait in a human being."

— Elizabeth Edwards
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"Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive."

— George Bernard Shaw
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"I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they're the good guys, but I do find that moral ambiguity and conflict makes for great characters."

— Barry Eisler
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"No Government has the moral authority to dismantle the universally understood meaning of marriage."

— Keith O'Brien
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