Literary notes about indispensable (AI summary)
The term "indispensable" consistently conveys the notion of something that is absolutely necessary or essential, whether referring to physical objects, abstract concepts, or moral imperatives. Philosophers and theorists use it to denote a foundational condition or principle—Kant’s discussion of indispensable groundwork in thought ([1], [2]) and James’s assertion regarding free will as an indispensable assumption ([3]) serve as prime illustrations. In more tangible contexts, it describes items critical to daily life or specific practices, such as gloves crucial for health ([4]) or rituals vital to religious life ([5]). Even in literary portrayals of character and duty, indispensable becomes a marker for that which one cannot do without, as seen in moral obligations and personal relationships ([6], [7]). This multifaceted usage highlights how indispensable functions both as a declaration of necessity and as an attribute of intrinsic value in a broad range of literary discourses.
- To this as the indispensable groundwork, all thought points.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - In this respect, it is indispensable, setting aside altogether the influence which it exerts as a science.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - Free Will is an indispensable assumption.
— from The Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick - Of wearing gloves I shall speak elsewhere, but for weak people who are troubled with chilblains, they are indispensable all the year round.
— from The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness by Cecil B. Hartley - Such arrangements are so indispensable to all religious life that even the most inferior religions cannot do without them.
— from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim - “I swear to you, that it is indispensable that we should be alone.” “Well, am I anybody?” Jean Valjean had not uttered a single word.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - I want you to understand that the letter was indispensable; it was the motor that set the whole machine in motion.
— from The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc
