It doesn't matter what country or what political system you are from. Space brings you together.
Valentina TereshkovaRead
Of course, if one ignores contradictory observations, one can claim to have an "elegant" or "robust" theory. But it isn't science.
Interpretation
Science requires a thorough and honest examination of all observations, including those that contradict existing theories.
In this quote, Halton Arp emphasizes the importance of considering all observations in scientific inquiry. He suggests that a theory may appear elegant or robust if contradictory evidence is ignored, but such an approach undermines the essence of science, which is built on rigorous investigation and acceptance of evidence that may challenge established beliefs.
In practice
In a debate about scientific theories, one may use this quote to stress the importance of acknowledging all evidence.
It doesn't matter what country or what political system you are from. Space brings you together.
Of course it is possible that UFO's really do contain aliens as many people believe, and the government is hushing it up
It was strange, in a way, because there were no ideas involved in the laser that weren't already known by somebody 25 years before lasers were discovered. The ideas were all there; just, nobody put it together.
It is shameful that there are so few women in science. [...] In China there are many, many women in physics. There is a misconception in America that women scientists are all dowdy spinsters. This is the fault of men. In Chinese society, a woman is valued for what she is, and men encourage her to accomplishments yet she remains eternally feminine.
I am ever more intrigued by the correspondence between mathematics and physical facts. The adaptability of mathematics to the description of physical phenomena is uncanny.
We live inside our universe and cannot get a bird's-eye view of it from outside. And we cannot even see all of our universe. Distant parts of it are expanding away from us so fast that they are invisible; they go faster than the speed of light. Having bigger telescopes to see fainter stars will not help us here: invisible is truly invisible.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.