If you admit that to silence your opponent by force_x000D_ is to win an intellectual argument,_x000D_ then you admit the right to silence people by force.
Hans EysenckRead
I always felt that a scientist owes the world only one thing, and that is the truth as he sees it. If the truth contradicts deeply held beliefs, that is too bad. Tact and diplomacy are fine in international relations, in politics, perhaps even in business; in science only one thing matters, and that is the facts.
Interpretation
Scientists should prioritize truth and facts over societal beliefs and diplomacy.
In this quote, Hans Eysenck emphasizes that the primary responsibility of a scientist is to present the truth as they perceive it, regardless of how it may conflict with popular or deeply held beliefs. While tact and diplomacy are often necessary in politics and business, in the realm of science, the focus must remain unequivocally on established facts and evidence, highlighting the importance of objective truth in scientific discourse.
In practice
In a scientific presentation, one might quote Eysenck to emphasize the need for honesty in research findings.
If you admit that to silence your opponent by force_x000D_ is to win an intellectual argument,_x000D_ then you admit the right to silence people by force.
The opinion prevailed among advanced minds that it was time that belief should be replaced increasingly by knowledge; belief that did not itself rest on knowledge was superstition, and as such had to be opposed.
The word 'chance' then expresses only our ignorance of the causes of the phenomena that we observe to occur and to succeed one another in no apparent order. Probability is relative in part to this ignorance, and in part to our knowledge.
Our best theories are not only truer than common sense, they make more sense than common sense...
When we think about global warming at all, the arguments tend to be ideological, theological and economic.
It is certainly true in the United States that there is an uneasiness about certain aspects of science, particularly evolution, because it conflicts, in some people's minds, with their sense of how we all came to be. But you know, if you are a believer in God, it's hard to imagine that God would somehow put this incontrovertible evidence in front of us about our relationship to other living organisms and expect us to disbelieve it. I mean, that doesn't make sense at all.
Please join me in applauding the ESA - European Space Agency’s historic efforts with the Rosetta Mission and landing a spacecraft on rotating comet. It may seem like a work of fiction, but it is very real, very impressive, and will help us to further uncover the mysteries surrounding the formation of the solar system. They made a beautiful short film using an imaginary landscape to illustrate today’s historic feat.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.