The Planck satellite may detect the imprint of the gravitational waves predicted by inflation. This would be quantum gravity written across the sky.
Stephen HawkingRead
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
What this quote means
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.
Themes
TheoryScienceExplanationKnowledgeEvidence
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the scientific method, you might say this quote to illustrate the nature of theories.
Similar quotes
There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.
Isaac AsimovRead
The central difficulty lies in the fact that all of the sciences have made such great progress during the last century that they have got quite beyond the reach of man
H. L. MenckenRead
We went to the Moon as technicians; we returned as humanitarians.
Edgar MitchellRead
There are no black holes - in the sense of regimes from which light can't escape to infinity. There are however apparent horizons which persist for a period of time.
Stephen HawkingRead
The actual organization of behavior goes on the level of the individual nerve cells and their connections, and we have a hundred billion nerve cells, probably a hundred trillion connections. It's just mind-boggling to think of all the different ways in which they're arranged in a baby's head.
Steven PinkerRead