The secret of all those who make discoveries is that they regard nothing as impossible.
Justus Von LiebigRead
I would... establish the conviction that Chemistry, as an independent science, offers one of the most powerful means towards the attainment of a higher mental cultivation; that the study of Chemistry is profitable, not only inasmuch as it promotes the material interests of mankind, but also because it furnishes us with insight into those wonders of creation which immediately surround us, and with which our existence, life, and development, are most closely connected.
Interpretation
Chemistry enhances both our material well-being and our understanding of the natural world.
Justus Von Liebig emphasizes the dual benefits of studying chemistry: it not only serves practical, material needs but also enriches our intellectual and spiritual appreciation of the natural phenomena around us. He asserts that an understanding of chemistry is vital for personal development and our connection to the wonders of creation, ultimately leading to a more profound mental cultivation.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of STEM education, a teacher might quote Liebig to showcase how chemistry fosters intellectual growth.
The secret of all those who make discoveries is that they regard nothing as impossible.
While consumers may be more shocked by pink slime or the feeding of Prozac to poultry, the routine feeding of millions of pounds of human antibiotics to chickens presents a much graver threat.
Everything great in science and art is simple. What can be less complicated than the greatest discoveries of humanity - gravitation, the compass, the printing press, the steam engine, the electric telegraph?
So how can we test the idea that the transition from nonlife to life is simple enough to happen repeatedly? The most obvious and straightforward way is to search for a second form of life on Earth. No planet is more Earth-like than Earth itself, so if the path to life is easy, then life should have started up many times over right here.
Even though I knew pretty early that I was going to be a scientist, it wasn't the science that interested me in science fiction; it was the vision of future societies that, for better or worse, would be radically different from our own.
I was a science fiction geek. That lets you know that they come in all sizes and styles, right?
A science which hesitates to forget its founders is lost.
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