Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
New, distant Scenes of endless Science rise: So pleas'd at first, the towring Alps we try.
Interpretation
The quote expresses excitement and awe towards new scientific discoveries and the grandeur of nature.
In this quote, Alexander Pope reflects on the exhilarating journey of scientific exploration, likening it to the marvel experienced when viewing magnificent landscapes like the Alps. It captures the initial joy and wonder that comes with discovering new knowledge and the beauty of the natural world, urging one to appreciate both the intellectual and aesthetic heights that science can reach.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a science day presentation to inspire young students.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
That's not right. That's not even wrong.
If others would but reflect on mathematical truths as deeply and as continuously as I have, they would make my discoveries.
The aim of scientific thought, then, is to apply past experience to new circumstances; the instrument is an observed uniformity in the course of events. By the use of this instrument it gives us information transcending our experience, it enables us to infer things that we have not seen from things that we have seen; and the evidence for the truth of that information depends on our supposing that the uniformity holds good beyond our experience.
We scientists have fantasies of being uniquely qualified to make great discoveries. Alas, reality is cruel: most of us are replaceable. For the vast majority of scientific contributions, if scientist X hadn't achieved it that year, scientist Y would have achieved the same result or something very similar soon thereafter.
Science is history arranged according to the superstition and taste of the moment. The vocabulary of scholars has no wit, no salt. These heavy tomes have no soul, they are filled with distress.
Before we start talking about genetic differences, you gotta come up with a system where there's equal opportunity.
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