A theory should not attempt to explain all the facts, because some of the facts are wrong
Interpretation
Scientific theories should be flexible and not rigidly account for every observation, especially when some observations may be incorrect.
Francis Crick emphasizes that while developing a scientific theory, it is important to recognize that not all observed facts are trustworthy or accurate. Therefore, a good theory should accommodate the possibility of errors in observations rather than trying to explain every detail, as doing so can lead to flawed conclusions and misguided scientific understanding.
In practice
In a discussion about the scientific method, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of skepticism in research.
One can say, looking at the papers in this symposium, that the elucidation of the genetic code is indeed a great achievement. It is, in a sense, the key to molecular biology because it shows how the great polymer languages, the nucleic acid language and the protein language, are linked together.
Exact knowledge is the enemy of vitalism.
It is essential to understand our brains in some detail if we are to assess correctly our place in this vast and complicated universe we see all around us.
To produce a really good biological theory one must try to see through the clutter produced by evolution to the basic mechanisms lying beneath them, realizing that they are likely to be overlaid by other, secondary mechanisms. What seems to physicists to be a hopelessly complicated process may have been what nature found simplest, because nature could only build on what was already there.
It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.
In the fullness of time, educated people will believe there is no soul independent of the body, and hence no life after death.
In the Radiation Laboratory we count it a privilege to do everything we can to assist our medical colleagues in the application of these new tools to the problems of human suffering.
In no other branch of mathematics is it so easy for experts to blunder as in probability theory.
It is a mere question of time when men will succeed in attaching their machinery to the very wheelwork of nature.
The brain cannot multitask. Multitasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth. The brain naturally focuses on concepts sequentially, one at a time…To put it bluntly, research shows that we can’t multitask. We are biologically incapable of processing information-rich inputs simultaneously…Studies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50 percent longer to accomplish a task. Not only that, he or she makes up to 50 percent more errors.
My wonder button is being pushed all the time.
Science is a cooperative enterprise spanning the generations. It's the passing of a torch from teacher to student to teacher. A community of minds, reaching back to antiquity and forward to the stars.
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