Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.
Max PlanckRead
We have no right to assume that any physical laws exist, or if they have existed up until now, that they will continue to exist in a similar manner in the future.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that we cannot take physical laws for granted, as they may change over time.
Max Planck's quote reflects the philosophical perspective that our understanding of the universe and its laws is not guaranteed to remain consistent. It challenges the assumption that the physical laws we observe today will persist unchanged into the future, emphasizing the idea that scientific knowledge is always provisional and subject to revision as we acquire new insights and data.
Themes
Physical LawsScienceChangeUncertaintyKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a scientific discussion on the nature of laws of physics, this quote can be used to emphasize the need for open-mindedness.
More from Max Planck
All quotes →Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: 'Ye must have faith.'
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Experiment is the only means of knowledge at our disposal. Everything else is poetry, imagination.
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There is no matter as such—mind is the matrix of all matter.
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