Blind commitment to a theory is not an intellectual virtue: it is an intellectual crime.
Interpretation
Blindly following a theory without questioning it is a serious intellectual mistake.
Imre Lakatos emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and skepticism in intellectual pursuits. He suggests that blindly adhering to a theory without questioning or challenging its validity undermines true knowledge and understanding, labeling such commitment an intellectual crime rather than a virtue.
In practice
During a debate on scientific theories, you can use this quote to remind participants to question assumptions.
It would be wrong to assume that one must stay with a research programme until it has exhausted all its heuristic power, that one must not introduce a rival programme before everybody agrees that the point of degeneration has probably been reached.
If even in science there is no a way of judging a theory but by assessing the number, faith and vocal energy of its supporters, then this must be even more so in the social sciences: truth lies in power.
No experimental result can ever kill a theory: any theory can be saved from counterinstances either by some auxiliary hypothesis or by a suitable reinterpretation of its terms.
Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind.
It is not that we propose a theory and Nature may shout NO; rather, we propose a maze of theories, and Nature may shout INCONSISTENT.
People say: idle curiosity. The one thing that curiosity cannot be is idle.
Do not wait for the healing to arrive. It will never come. The holes will never leave or be filled with anything at all. But holes are interesting things.
I think making mistakes and discovering them for yourself is of great value, but to have someone else to point out your mistakes is a shortcut of the process.
Bring anger and pride under your feet, _x000D_ turn them into a ladder and climb higher.
Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness. And they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy... or they become legend.
With wealth comes responsibility.
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