Although the elusive 'cure' may be a distant dream, understanding the true nature of cancer will enable it to be better controlled and less menacing.
Interpretation
Understanding cancer's nature leads to better control and management of the disease.
This quote by Paul Davies emphasizes the importance of deepening our understanding of cancer rather than merely seeking a 'cure'. It suggests that while a complete solution may be far off, comprehending the complexities of cancer can significantly improve how we manage and treat the illness, making it less threatening over time.
In practice
In a health seminar discussing advancements in cancer research.
The temptation to believe that the Universe is the product of some sort of design, a manifestation of subtle aesthetic and mathematical judgment, is overwhelming. The belief that there is "something behind it all" is one that I personally share with, I suspect, a majority of physicists.
Science, we are repeatedly told, is the most reliable form of knowledge about the world because it is based on testable hypotheses. Religion, by contrast, is based on faith. The term 'doubting Thomas' well illustrates the difference.
Many investigators feel uneasy stating in public that the origin of life is a mystery, even though behind closed doors they admit they are baffled.
Traditionally, scientists have treated the laws of physics as simply 'given,' elegant mathematical relationships that were somehow imprinted on the universe at its birth, and fixed thereafter. Inquiry into the origin and nature of the laws was not regarded as a proper part of science.
For me, science is already fantastical enough. Unlocking the secrets of nature with fundamental physics or cosmology or astrobiology leads you into a wonderland compared with which beliefs in things like alien abductions pale into insignificance.
The laws of physics ... seem to be the product of exceedingly ingenious design... The universe must have a purpose.
A scientist's aim in a discussion with his colleagues is not to persuade, but to clarify.
We need senators who have studied physics and representatives who understand ecology.
The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from an investigation of the governing physics.
For me, it was my first cosmic connection, on par with a first kiss. No other planet looks as unworldly or surreal as Saturn. When you see it floating in the eyepiece of your telescope, you feel as if you've uncovered mystery in the cosmos.
...for a long time I wanted to become a theologian... now, however, behold how through my efforts God is being debated in astronomy.
A lot of scientists hate writing. Most scientists love being in the lab and doing the work and when the work is done, they are finished.
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