We seem gradually to be groping toward an understanding of the world of subatomic particles, but we really do not know how far we have yet to go in this task.
Interpretation
Understanding subatomic particles is a complex journey, and we are still uncertain about the extent of what we have yet to learn.
This quote by Richard P. Feynman reflects the ongoing quest for knowledge in the field of particle physics. It highlights the progress made in comprehending the fundamental components of matter while acknowledging that much remains unknown. Feynman's words suggest that the journey of scientific discovery is continuous, filled with challenges, and requires humility regarding our current understanding and the mysteries that lie ahead.
In practice
In a science class discussing the latest discoveries in physics.
The philosophical question before us is, when we make an observation of our track in the past, does the result of our observation become real in the same sense that the final state would be defined if an outside observer were to make the observation?
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.
It has not yet become obvious to me that there's no real problem. I cannot define the real problem; therefore, I suspect there's no real problem, but I'm not sure there's no real problem.
For far more marvelous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined it. Why do the poets of the present not speak of it? What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent?
Science is a way to teach how something gets to be known, what is not known, to what extent things are known (for nothing is known absolutely), how to handle doubt and uncertainty, what the rules of evidence are, how to think about things so that judgments can be made, how to distinguish truth from fraud, and from show.
We do not know what the rules of the game are; all we are allowed to do is to watch the playing. Of course, if we watch long enough, we may eventually catch on to a few of the rules. The rules of the game are what we mean by fundamental physics.
It is now widely realized that nearly all the 'classical' problems of molecular biology have either been solved or will be solved in the next decade. The entry of large numbers of American and other biochemists into the field will ensure that all the chemical details of replication and transcription will be elucidated. Because of this, I have long felt that the future of molecular biology lies in the extension of research to other fields of biology, notably development and the nervous system.
In any field, find the strangest thing and then explore it.
I'll change the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology.
The scientific spirit is of more value than its products, and irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors.
The only relevant test of the validity of a hypothesis is comparison of prediction with experience.
Everything great in science and art is simple. What can be less complicated than the greatest discoveries of humanity - gravitation, the compass, the printing press, the steam engine, the electric telegraph?
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