We call those poets who are first to mark, Through earth's dull mist the coming of the dawn, Who see in twilight's gloom the first pale spark, While others only note that day is gone.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Science is the topography of ignorance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Science reveals what we do not know and maps the boundaries of our understanding.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. suggests that the pursuit of science is an exploration of our ignorance. Just as a map shows the terrain and identifies unexplored areas, science reveals the gaps in our knowledge and highlights the mysteries that remain to be understood, emphasizing that the more we learn, the more we realize how much there is yet to discover.
Themes
ScienceIgnoranceKnowledgeExplorationUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation on the importance of scientific research, I might say, 'As Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. wisely stated, 'Science is the topography of ignorance.'
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
All quotes βEvery real thought on every real subject knocks the wind out of somebody or other.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
The very aim and end of our institutions is just this: that we may think what we like and say what we think.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Don't you stay at home of evenings? Don't you love a cushioned seat in a corner, by the fireside, with your slippers on your feet?
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that - one stitch at a time taken patiently and the pattern will come out all right like the embroidery.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
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I think the appropriate response for a physicist is: 'I do not find the concept of God very interesting, because I cannot test it.'
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