It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
The scientific value of truth is not, however, ultimate or absolute. It rests partly on practical, partly on aesthetic interests. As our ideas are gradually brought into conformity with the facts by the painful process of selection,-for intuition runs equally into truth and into error, and can settle nothing if not controlled by experience,-we gain vastly in our command over our environment. This is the fundamental value of natural science
Interpretation
What this quote means
The pursuit of truth in science combines practical and aesthetic elements, allowing us to better understand and interact with our environment.
In this quote, George Santayana emphasizes the nuanced nature of truth in science, arguing that it is not an absolute, but rather shaped by practical realities and aesthetic considerations. He highlights the importance of aligning our ideas with empirical evidence through experience and rigorous selection, suggesting that this process enhances our ability to comprehend and influence our surroundings, which is the essence of the value of natural science.
Themes
TruthScienceExperienceEnvironmentKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a scientific conference to emphasize the importance of empirical evidence.
More from George Santayana
All quotes →The working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought.
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Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
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To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
George SantayanaRead
The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
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