I'm a scientist, not a theologian. I don't know if there is a God or not. Religion requires certainty. Revere and respect Gaia. Have trust in Gaia. But not faith.
James LovelockRead
Fudging the data in any way whatsoever is quite literally a sin against the holy ghost of science. I'm not religious, but I put it that way because I feel so strongly. It's the one thing you do not ever do. You've got to have standards.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Manipulating data undermines the integrity of scientific inquiry.
In this quote, James Lovelock emphasizes the moral imperative of maintaining honesty and integrity in scientific research. He likens the manipulation of data to a profound moral wrong, suggesting that adherence to standards is essential for the credibility and reliability of scientific work.
Themes
DataIntegrityScienceStandardsHonesty
In practice
Example use cases
In a conference on scientific ethics, you can quote this to emphasize the importance of data integrity.
More from James Lovelock
All quotes →The entire range of living matter on Earth from whales to viruses and from oaks to algae could be regarded as constituting a single living entity capable of maintaining the Earth's atmosphere to suit its overall needs and endowed with faculties and powers far beyond those of its constituent parts.
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We are in a fool's climate, accidentally kept cool by smoke, and before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable.
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By 2040, the Sahara will be moving into Europe and Berlin will be as hot as Baghdad. Atlanta will end up a kudzu jungle. Phoenix will become uninhabitable, as will parts of Beijing (desert), Miami (rising seas) and London (floods). Food shortages will drive millions of people north, raising political tensions.
James LovelockRead
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