It is the desire for explanations that are at once systematic and controllable by factual evidence that generates science; and it is the organization and classification of knowledge on the basis of explanatory principles that is the distinctive goal of the sciences.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that science is driven by a quest for systematic explanations backed by factual evidence.
Ernest Nagel argues that the fundamental essence of science lies in the desire to understand the world through systematic and empirical explanations. This pursuit not only requires evidence but also aims at organizing and classifying knowledge according to clear explanatory principles, underscoring the structured approach that characterizes scientific inquiry.
In practice
In a lecture about the importance of science, one might quote this to emphasize the value of systematic inquiry.
The scientific community should work as hard as possible to address major issues that affect our everyday lives such as climate change, infectious diseases and counterterrorism; in particular, 'clean energy' research deserves far higher priority. And science and technology are the prime routes to tackling these issues.
The edifice of science not only requires material, but also a plan. Without the material, the plan alone is but a castle in the air-a mere possibility; whilst the material without a plan is but useless matter.
When asked about which scientist he'd like to meet, Neil deGrasse Tyson said, "Isaac Newton. No question about it. The smartest person ever to walk the face of this earth. The man was connected to the universe in spooky ways. He discovered the laws of motion, the laws of gravity, the laws of optics. Then he turned 26.
Science has helped us to understand and master ourselves, creating an elevated new form of human life, the wealth and beauty of which cannot be pictured today by the keenest imagination.
Overall, the human brain is the most complex object known in the universe - known, that is, to itself.
No one trusts a model except the man who wrote it; everyone trusts an observation, except the man who made it.
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