It is far safer and wiser that the physicist remain on the solid ground of theoretical physics
itself and eschew the shifting sands of philosophic extrapolations.
—Louis de Broglie, 1962
People complain that our generation has no philosophers. They are wrong. They now sit in
another faculty. Their names are Max Planck and Albert Einstein.
—Adolf Harnack, 1911
***
The most ominous conflict of our time is the difference of opinion, of outlook, between men
of letters, historians, philosophers, the so-called humanists, on the one side and scientists on
the other. The gap cannot but increase because of the intolerance of both and the fact that
science is growing by leaps and bounds.
—George Sarton, 1930
The intellectual life of the whole western society is increasingly being split into two polar
groups. […] At one pole we have the literary intellectuals […], at the other scientists, and as
the most representative, the physical scientists. Between the two a gulf of mutual
incomprehension.
—C. P. Snow, 1959
The backwardness of the economic and social sciences with respect to the sciences of
matter is one of the causes of the present human calamities through lack of foresight.
—Jean Fourastié, 1949
One of the differences between the natural and the social sciences is that in the natural
sciences, each succeeding generation stands on the shoulders of those that have gone
before, while in the social sciences, each generation steps in the faces of its predecessors.
30
—David Zeaman, 1959
Science is one of the very few human activities – perhaps the only one – in which the errors
are systematically criticized and fairly often, corrected.
—Karl Popper, 1963
In science it often happens that scientists say, ‘You know that’s a really good argument; my
position is mistaken,’ and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear
that old view from them again. […] I cannot recall the last time something like that
happened in politics or religion.
—Carl Sagan, 1987
There is a noticeable general difference between the sciences and mathematics on the one
hand, and the humanities and social sciences on the other. […] You can lie or distort the
story of the French Revolution as long as you like, and nothing will happen. Propose a false
theory in chemistry, and it’ll be refuted tomorrow.
—Noam Chomsky, 1992
30
As a member of the natural science community, I am grateful for author’s high opinion of it, but
cannot help noticing that some of its dwarfish members use their elevated positions to relieve
themselves on the heads of their predecessors.
On Sciences and Technologies
51
itself and eschew the shifting sands of philosophic extrapolations.
—Louis de Broglie, 1962
People complain that our generation has no philosophers. They are wrong. They now sit in
another faculty. Their names are Max Planck and Albert Einstein.
—Adolf Harnack, 1911
***
The most ominous conflict of our time is the difference of opinion, of outlook, between men
of letters, historians, philosophers, the so-called humanists, on the one side and scientists on
the other. The gap cannot but increase because of the intolerance of both and the fact that
science is growing by leaps and bounds.
—George Sarton, 1930
The intellectual life of the whole western society is increasingly being split into two polar
groups. […] At one pole we have the literary intellectuals […], at the other scientists, and as
the most representative, the physical scientists. Between the two a gulf of mutual
incomprehension.
—C. P. Snow, 1959
The backwardness of the economic and social sciences with respect to the sciences of
matter is one of the causes of the present human calamities through lack of foresight.
—Jean Fourastié, 1949
One of the differences between the natural and the social sciences is that in the natural
sciences, each succeeding generation stands on the shoulders of those that have gone
before, while in the social sciences, each generation steps in the faces of its predecessors.
30
—David Zeaman, 1959
Science is one of the very few human activities – perhaps the only one – in which the errors
are systematically criticized and fairly often, corrected.
—Karl Popper, 1963
In science it often happens that scientists say, ‘You know that’s a really good argument; my
position is mistaken,’ and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear
that old view from them again. […] I cannot recall the last time something like that
happened in politics or religion.
—Carl Sagan, 1987
There is a noticeable general difference between the sciences and mathematics on the one
hand, and the humanities and social sciences on the other. […] You can lie or distort the
story of the French Revolution as long as you like, and nothing will happen. Propose a false
theory in chemistry, and it’ll be refuted tomorrow.
—Noam Chomsky, 1992
30
As a member of the natural science community, I am grateful for author’s high opinion of it, but
cannot help noticing that some of its dwarfish members use their elevated positions to relieve
themselves on the heads of their predecessors.
On Sciences and Technologies
51