Behind it all is surely an idea so simple, so beautiful, that when we grasp it - in a decade, a century, or a millennium - we will all say to each other, how could it have been otherwise? How could we have been so stupid?
John Archibald WheelerRead
The laws of physics that we regard_x000D_ as 'sacred,' as immutable, are anything_x000D_ but.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The laws of physics, though often viewed as unchanging, are actually subject to change and interpretation.
This quote by John Archibald Wheeler suggests that our understanding of the laws of physics, which we often hold as absolute and sacred, is not as fixed as we might believe. It emphasizes the idea that scientific laws are subject to revision and can evolve with new discoveries and insights, inviting a more flexible and open-minded approach to our understanding of the universe.
Themes
PhysicsLawsScienceChangeUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on scientific paradigms, one could reference this quote to illustrate how scientific understanding evolves.
More from John Archibald Wheeler
All quotes βNo phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon.
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In order to more fully understand this reality, we must take into account other dimensions of a broader reality.
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In any field, find the strangest thing and then explore it.
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We will first understand how simple the universe is when we recognize how strange it is.
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The universe gives birth to consciousness, and consciousness gives meaning to the universe.
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