CREDO UT INTELLIGAM

credo ut intelligam: translation

I believe in order to understand. A formula of Anselm's implying that the intelligibility of Christian doctrine can only become evident after belief in it. The idea, especially frustrating to atheists, has echoes in the doctrine associated with the later work of Wittgenstein, according to which immersion in a way of life is necessary for understanding its specific structures and guiding concepts.

Credo ut intelligam: translation

Lit. 'I believe that I may understand'. The scholastic phrase made famous by Anselm of Bec (d. 1109).