"A civilization is a heritage of beliefs, customs, and knowledge slowly accumulated in the course of centuries, elements difficult at times to justify by logic, but justifying themselves as paths when they lead somewhere, since they open up for man his inner distance." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "Flight to Arras", 1942)
"It is the normal lot of people who must live this life [in space] to be - by terrestrial standards - insane. Insanity under such conditions is a useful and logical defense mechanism, an invaluable and salutary retreat from reality." (Charles L Harness, "The Paradox Men", 1949)
"Insanity, gentlemen, is not a catchall for every human action that involves motives we don’t understand. Insanity has its own structure, its own internal logic." (Stanislaw Lem, "The Investigation", 1959)
"The paranoid seemed rational. The formal pattern of logical reasoning appeared undisturbed. Underneath, however, the paranoid suffered from the greatest mental disfigurement possible for a human being. He was incapable of empathy, unable to imagine himself in another person’s role. Hence for him others did not actually exist - except as objects in motion that did or did not affect his well-being." (Philip K Dick, "Clans of the Alphane Moon", 1964)
"Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic." (Frank Herbert, "Dune: The Prophet", 1965)
"That’s the trouble with computers [...]. Too logical." (Frank Herbert, "Escape Felicity", 1966)
"A science fiction writer is - or should be - constrained by what is, or logically might be. That can mean simple fidelity to facts (which, in science, are always more important than theories - though Lord knows the two help shape each other, undermining the convenient, complacent separation of observer and observed). To me it also means heeding the authentic, the actual and concrete. Bad fiction uses the glossy generality; good writing needs the smattering of detail, the unrelenting busy mystery of the real." (Gregory Benford, "Afterword to Exposures", [in Alien Flesh] 1986)
"Clinging to any form of conservatism can be dangerous. Become too conservative and you are unprepared for surprises. You cannot depend on luck. Logic is blind and often knows only its own past. Logic is good for playing chess but is often too slow for the needs of survival." (Frank Herbert, "Chapterhouse: Dune", 1985)
"Where is the world whose people don't prefer a comfortable, warm, and well-worn belief, however illogical, to the chilly winds of uncertainty?" (Isaac Asimov, "Foundation and Earth", 1986)
"Logic is a wonderful thing but doesn’t always beat actual thought." (Terry Pratchett, "The Last Continent", 1998)
"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others." (Douglas N Adams, "The Salmon of Doubt", 2002)
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