While Occam’s Razor
14 is a useful tool in physical sciences, it can be a very dangerous
implement in biology. It is thus very rash to use simplicity and elegance in biological
research.
—Francis Crick, 1988
Biology belongs to one of the surprising sciences, where each rule must always be supplemented with several exceptions (except this rule, of course).
—Claus Emmeche, 1994
Physics was the first of the natural sciences to become fully modern and highly mathematical. Chemistry followed in the wake of physics, but biology, the retarded child, lagged
far behind.
—Michael Crichton, 1969
Biology has become a mature science as it has become precise and predictable.
—Philip Handler, 1970
What is truly revolutionary about molecular biology in the post-Watson-Crick era is that it
became digital.
—Richard Dawkins, 1995
***
Aristotle was famous for knowing everything. He taught that the brain exists merely to cool
the blood and is not involved in the process of thinking. This is true only of certain persons.
—Will Cuppy, 1950
The brain is the most complex thing we have yet discovered in the universe.
—James Watson, 1992
A typical neuron makes about ten thousand connections to neighboring neurons. Given the
billions of neurons, there are as many connections in a single cubic centimeter of brain
tissue as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
—David Eagleman, 2011
The stars may be large, but they cannot think or love; and these are qualities which impress
me far more than the size does. I take no credit for weighing seventeen stone.
—Frank Ramsey, 1931
The most underdeveloped territory in the world is under our scalps.
—Dorothy M. Carl, 1972
15
14
“Plurality [of reasons] should not be postulated without necessity” (Lat. “Pluralitas non est
ponenda sine necessitate”) by William of Ockham. This principle is widely misquoted as “Entities
should not be multiplied unnecessarily”.
15
Unfortunately, I could not identify this author.
On Sciences and Technologies
47
14 is a useful tool in physical sciences, it can be a very dangerous
implement in biology. It is thus very rash to use simplicity and elegance in biological
research.
—Francis Crick, 1988
Biology belongs to one of the surprising sciences, where each rule must always be supplemented with several exceptions (except this rule, of course).
—Claus Emmeche, 1994
Physics was the first of the natural sciences to become fully modern and highly mathematical. Chemistry followed in the wake of physics, but biology, the retarded child, lagged
far behind.
—Michael Crichton, 1969
Biology has become a mature science as it has become precise and predictable.
—Philip Handler, 1970
What is truly revolutionary about molecular biology in the post-Watson-Crick era is that it
became digital.
—Richard Dawkins, 1995
***
Aristotle was famous for knowing everything. He taught that the brain exists merely to cool
the blood and is not involved in the process of thinking. This is true only of certain persons.
—Will Cuppy, 1950
The brain is the most complex thing we have yet discovered in the universe.
—James Watson, 1992
A typical neuron makes about ten thousand connections to neighboring neurons. Given the
billions of neurons, there are as many connections in a single cubic centimeter of brain
tissue as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
—David Eagleman, 2011
The stars may be large, but they cannot think or love; and these are qualities which impress
me far more than the size does. I take no credit for weighing seventeen stone.
—Frank Ramsey, 1931
The most underdeveloped territory in the world is under our scalps.
—Dorothy M. Carl, 1972
15
14
“Plurality [of reasons] should not be postulated without necessity” (Lat. “Pluralitas non est
ponenda sine necessitate”) by William of Ockham. This principle is widely misquoted as “Entities
should not be multiplied unnecessarily”.
15
Unfortunately, I could not identify this author.
On Sciences and Technologies
47