Whether in the intellectual pursuits of science or in the mystical pursuits of the spirit, the light beckons ahead, and the purpose surging in our nature responds.
Arthur EddingtonRead
It is one thing for the human mind to extract from the phenomena of nature the laws which it has itself put into them; it may be a far harder thing to extract laws over which it has no control. It is even possible that laws which have not their origin in the mind may be irrational, and we can never succeed in formulating them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the difficulty of understanding laws of nature that exist independently of human perception and thought.
Arthur Eddington's quote delves into the relationship between the human mind and the natural world, suggesting that while humans can identify and formulate laws imposed by their own understanding of nature, it becomes significantly more challenging to comprehend laws that exist beyond human influence. Eddington warns that some such laws may even be irrational, highlighting the limitations of human cognition in grasping the fundamental rules that govern the universe.
Themes
LawsNatureMindUnderstandingPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the limits of scientific knowledge.
More from Arthur Eddington
All quotes →The physical world is entirely abstract and without actuality apart from its linkage to consciousness.
Arthur EddingtonRead
Whatever else there may be in our nature, responsibility toward truth is one of its attributes.
Arthur EddingtonRead
In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper. It is all symbolic, and as a symbol the physicist leaves it. ... The frank realisation that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances.
Arthur EddingtonRead
So far as physics is concerned, time's arrow is a property of entropy alone.
Arthur EddingtonRead
A star is drawing on some vast reservoir of energy by means unknown to us. This reservoir can scarcely be other than the subatomic energy which, it is known exists abundantly in all matter; we sometimes dream that man will one day learn how to release it and use it for his service. The store is well nigh inexhaustible, if only it could be tapped. There is sufficient in the Sun to maintain its output of heat for 15 billion years.
Arthur EddingtonRead
Similar quotes
Almost anything carried to a logical extreme becomes depressing.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.
Jacques Yves CousteauRead
I am persuaded that men think there is no God because they wish there were none. They find it hard to believe in God, and to go on in sin, so they try to get an easy conscience by denying his existence.
Charles SpurgeonRead
If you look at other countries, you see they have different values: defend more, pass the ball out more, winning is holy. In England, you could say that sport itself is holy. They say, 'Look, guys, it's about more than just winning.'
Johan CruyffRead
What I say about myself, black footballers or black pop stars is that we have been 'elevated out of blackness.' Because when people see us, they don't see us as being black. These are the issues that we should address.
John BarnesRead
Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, "I am not the kind of person I want to be." It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.
Frank HerbertRead