Whoever wishes to acquire a deep acquaintance with Nature must observe that there are analogies which connect whole branches of science in a parallel manner, and enable us to infer of one class of phenomena what we know of another. It has thus happened on several occasions that the discovery of an unsuspected analogy between two branches of knowledge has been the starting point for a rapid course of discovery.
Interpretation
Understanding nature requires recognizing connections between different scientific fields.
William Stanley Jevons emphasizes the importance of observing analogies across various branches of science. By identifying these connections, one can leverage knowledge from one area to gain insights into another, often leading to significant discoveries and advancements in understanding natural phenomena.
In practice
In a scientific conference discussing the relationship between physics and biology, a speaker might use this quote to emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration.
It is clear that Economics, if it is to be a science at all, must be a mathematical science ... simply because it deals with quantities... As the complete theory of almost every other science involves the use of calculus, so we cannot have a true theory of Economics without its aid.
Value is the most invincible and impalpable of ghosts, and comes and goes unthought of, while the visible and dense matter remains as it was.
Economics has never been a science - and it is even less now than a few years ago.
Is science of any value? I think a power to do something is of value. Whether the result is a good thing or a bad thing depends on how it is used, but the power is a value.
While I'm a big fan of science fiction, especially as rendered in expensive Hollywood blockbusters, it's the real universe that calls to me.
For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using mathematics.
The latest authors, like the most ancient, strove to subordinate the phenomena of nature to the laws of mathematics.
No isolated experiment, however significant in itself, can suffice for the experimental demonstration of any natural phenomenon; for the "one chance in a million" will undoubtedly occur, with no less and no more than its appropriate frequency, however surprised we may be that it should occur to us.
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