We are more dependent on science and engineering than at any other time in history. However, there is plenty of evidence that far too many people are scientifically illiterate, often having been put off science at school.
Robert WinstonRead
Some people, both scientists and religious people, deal with uncertainty by being certain. That is dangerous in the fundamentalists and it is dangerous in the fundamentalist scientists.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Certainty can provide comfort, but excessive certainty in the face of uncertainty can be dangerous.
This quote emphasizes that both scientists and religious individuals may respond to the inherent uncertainties of life by holding onto certainties. However, when this certainty becomes dogmatic—whether in a religious or scientific context—it can lead to a dangerous mindset, hindering open-minded exploration and understanding of the complexities of the world.
Themes
CertaintyUncertaintyFundamentalismScienceReligion
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on science and religion, one might use this quote to illustrate the dangers of dogma.
More from Robert Winston
All quotes →Of course it is a very simple matter to identify genes which might modify intelligence or memory and start thinking about whether you want to enhance a human, and the next generation is going to have to deal with that issue. Should we be trying to enhance humans rather than trying to educate them and so on?
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In reality, both religion and science are expressions of man's uncertainty. Perhaps the paradox is that certainty, whether it be in science or religion, is dangerous.
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We can't any longer have the conventional understanding of genetics which everybody peddles because it is increasingly obvious that epigenetics - actually things which influence the genome's function - are much more important than we realised.
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Nearly all inventions are not recognised for their positive side either when they're made. So, for example, scientists didn't go out to design a CD machine: they designed a laser. But we got all sorts of things from a laser which we never remotely imagined, and we're still finding things for a laser to do.
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It's extraordinary to think that if you walked into a room and said you had never heard of Hamlet, you would be regarded as a Philistine. But you could walk into the same room and say, 'I don't know what a proton is,' and people would just laugh and say, 'Why should you know?'
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