I always say, 'Let your experiment speak to you.' What I mean by that is I - actually, we, or, at least, I'm not smart enough, actually, to guess how nature is working, but by looking and doing the right experiments and paying close attention to the subtleties of it, you start to catch on.
Interpretation
Experiments reveal the truths of nature, guiding our understanding beyond mere assumptions.
Roderick Mackinnon's quote emphasizes the importance of experimentation in understanding the complexities of nature. Rather than relying solely on intellect or preconceived notions, he advocates for a hands-on approach, where careful observation and experimentation lead to insights about how the natural world operates.
In practice
A scientist presenting their research at a conference could open with this quote to emphasize the role of experiments in their findings.
If you want to find out anything from the theoretical physicists about the methods they use, I advise you to stick closely to one principle: don't listen to their words, fix your attention on their deeds. To him who is a discoverer in this field the products of his imagination appear so necessary and natural that he regards them, and would like to have them regarded by others, not as creations of thought but as given realities.
A great part of its theories derives an additional charm from the peculiarity that important propositions, with the impress of simplicity on them, are often easily discovered by induction, and yet are of so profound a character that we cannot find the demonstrations till after many vain attempts; and even then, when we do succeed, it is often by some tedious and artificial process, while the simple methods may long remain concealed.
Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's, but apples did not suspend themselves in mid-air, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from apelike ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered.
We only have to capture 1/10,000th of the solar energy landing on earth to completely satisfy all our energy needs.
There is no energy crisis, only a crisis of ignorance.
There are an awful lot of scientists today who believe that before very long we shall have unraveled all the secrets of the universe. There will be no puzzles anymore. To me, it'd be really, really tragic because I think one of the most exciting things is this feeling of mystery, feeling of awe, the feeling of looking at a little live thing and being amazed by it and how it has emerged through these hundreds of years of evolution and there it is and it is perfect and why.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.