Mathematics is a more powerful instrument of knowledge than any other that has been bequeathed to us by human agency.
Rene DescartesRead
Every theory presented as a scientific concept is just that; it's a theory that tries to explain more about the world than previous theories have done. It is open to being challenged and to being proven incorrect.
Interpretation
Scientific theories are evolving explanations of the world, subject to change and challenge.
This quote by Marvin Harris emphasizes that scientific theories are not definitive truths but rather evolving explanations about the universe. They build upon past knowledge and are always open to scrutiny and revision as new evidence emerges, reflecting the dynamic nature of scientific inquiry.
In practice
In a lecture about the scientific method, you might say this quote to illustrate the nature of theories.
Mathematics is a more powerful instrument of knowledge than any other that has been bequeathed to us by human agency.
The application of algebra to geometry ... has immortalized the name of Descartes, and constitutes the greatest single step ever made in the progress of the exact sciences.
The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th century science has been the discovery of human ignorance
If we just stay at the crest of the mycelial wave, it will take us into heretofore unknown territories that will be just magnificent in their implications.
True science teaches us to doubt and, in ignorance, to refrain.
Studying organisms at a molecular level was totally compelling because it was moving from being a naturalist, which was the 19th-century kind of science, to being very focused and really getting to the heart of these molecules.
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