Miscellanea

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Proverbs 23)

Science Doesn't Teach Anything

When someone says, “Science teaches such and such,” he is using the word incorrectly. Science doesn’t teach anything; experience teaches it. If they say to you, “Science has shown such and such,” you might ask, “How does science show it? How did the scientists find out? How? What? Where?”

It should not be “science has shown” but “this experiment, this effect, has shown.” And you have as much right as anyone else, upon hearing about the experiments–but be patient and listen to all the evidence–to judge whether a sensible conclusion has been arrived at.

Richard Feynman
Similar Quotes
Scientific Men Charles Hodge
Scientific men give the name of science to their explanations as well as to the facts. Nay, they are...
The Realm of Science Vern Poythress
Because of the cultural prestige of science and scientists, many people simply accept the present st...
Feynman on Knowledge Richard Feynman
You can know the name of the bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'l...
Vanity of Science John Calvin
We must carefully notice these two things — that a knowledge of all the sciences is mere smoke, wher...
Theory Induced Blindness Daniel Kahneman
Once you have accepted a theory and used it as a tool in your thinking, it is extraordinarily diffic...

Please submit corrections, feedback, or information as to where the text of this q can be found.