If a conclusion is not poetically balanced, it cannot be scientifically true.
Interpretation
Truth in science must align with the harmony of poetry.
This quote by Isaac Asimov suggests that for a conclusion to be considered truly valid in a scientific context, it must also possess a certain aesthetic balance and coherence similar to that found in poetry. Asimov emphasizes the interconnectedness of art and science, implying that pure reasoning must resonate with human experience and emotion to be deemed true and meaningful.
In practice
During a lecture on the importance of creativity in scientific discoveries.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, but it disappears. It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
With all the other -isms that we deal with, that sort of nameless -ism that we have in too many of our hearts against the poor in this country is what wounds us most broadly.
I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure.
The natural aristocracy I consider as the most precious gift of nature for the instruction, the trusts, and government of society. And indeed it would have been inconsistent in creation to have formed man for the social state, and not to have provided virtue and wisdom enough to manage the concerns of the society. May we not even say that that form of government is the best which provides the most - for a pure selection of these natural aristoi into the offices of government?
Hell is a half-filled auditorium.
Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you? Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?
All is vanity, nothing is fair.
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