Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.
Jacob BronowskiRead
One aim of physical sciences had been to give an exact picture the material world. One achievement of physics in the twentieth century has been to prove that that aim is unattainable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The pursuit of precise understanding in physics reveals the inherent complexities of the material world, suggesting that absolute clarity is impossible.
Jacob Bronowski reflects on the ambitions of physical sciences, emphasizing that while scientists aimed to create an exact representation of the material world, advancements in physics during the twentieth century have shown that such precise understanding may ultimately be unattainable. This perspective highlights the limitations of human knowledge and the complexity of the universe that lies beyond simple description.
Themes
SciencePhysicsKnowledgeComplexityMaterial World
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on the philosophy of science, this quote can highlight the limitations of scientific knowledge.
More from Jacob Bronowski
All quotes →There is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy.
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To me the most interesting thing about man is that he is an animal who practices art and science and in every known society practices both together.
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A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He does so by finding a likeness between things which were not thought alike before.
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The values by which we are to survive are not rules for just and unjust conduct, but are those deeper illuminations in whose light justice and injustice, good and evil, means and ends are seen in fearful sharpness of outline.
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The basis for poetry and scientific discovery is the ability to comprehend the unlike in the like and the like in the unlike.
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