That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
Ernest RutherfordRead
I must confess it was very unexpected and I am very startled at my metamorphosis into a chemist.
Interpretation
Ernest Rutherford expresses surprise at his transformation into a chemist, highlighting the unexpected nature of personal change and development.
In this quote, Ernest Rutherford reflects on his unexpected journey into the field of chemistry, illustrating that personal evolutions often occur without prior anticipation. His sentiment captures the essence of how life can lead us down unforeseen paths, challenging our initial perceptions and allowing growth into roles we might not have initially envisioned for ourselves.
In practice
During a science conference, I could use this quote to express how my career path took an unexpected turn.
That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.
I am a great believer in the simplicity of things and as you probably know I am inclined to hang on to broad & simple ideas like grim death until evidence is too strong for my tenacity.
All science is either physics or stamp collecting.
Now I know what the atom looks like.
If your result needs a statistician then you should design a better experiment.
I have had my results for a long time: but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them.
It may be conceit, but I believe the subject will interest the public, and I am sure that the views are original.
Science now finds itself in paradoxical strife with society: admired but mistrusted; offering hope for the future but creating ambiguous choice; richly supported yet unable to fulfill all its promise; boasting remarkable advances but criticized for not serving more directly the goals of society.
While consumers may be more shocked by pink slime or the feeding of Prozac to poultry, the routine feeding of millions of pounds of human antibiotics to chickens presents a much graver threat.
Astronauts will remain the explorers, the pioneers-the first to go back to moon and on to Mars. But I think it's really important to make space space available to as many people as we can. It's going to be a while before we can launch people for less than $20 million a ticket. But that day is coming.
I conclude that, while it is true that science cannot decide questions of value, that is because they cannot be intellectually decided at all, and lie outside the realm of truth and falsehood. Whatever knowledge is attainable, must be attained by scientific methods; and what science cannot discover, mankind cannot know.
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