I cannot give any scientist of any age better advice than this: the intensity of a conviction that a hypothesis is true has no bearing over whether it is true or not.
Peter MedawarRead
It is ... a sign of the times-though our brothers of physics and chemistry may smile to hear me say so-that biology is now a science in which theories can be devised: theories which lead to predictions and predictions which sometimes turn out to be correct. These facts confirm me in a belief I hold most passionately-that biology is the heir of all the sciences.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Biology has evolved into a scientific discipline capable of generating and testing theories.
In this quote, Peter Medawar emphasizes the advancement of biology as a legitimate and predictive science. He highlights that biological theories, much like those in physics and chemistry, can lead to predictions about natural phenomena, and observes that these predictions can indeed be accurate, showcasing the scientific rigor and importance of biology as a discipline that builds upon foundational scientific principles.
Themes
BiologyScienceTheoriesPredictionsResearch
In practice
Example use cases
During a university lecture on scientific theories in biology.
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