C'este donc par l'étude des mathématiques, et seulement par elle, que l'on peut se faire une idée juste et approfondie de ce que c'est qu'une science.
Auguste ComteRead
If we do not allow free thinking in chemistry or biology, why should we allow it in morals or politics?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that open-mindedness and freedom of thought should apply universally, not just in the sciences but also in ethical and political discussions.
Auguste Comte’s quote emphasizes the importance of free thinking in all areas of human thought and discourse. It questions the inconsistency of endorsing creative and critical thinking in scientific fields like chemistry and biology while stifling such thought in moral and political arenas. This highlights a broader societal issue where certain ideas are accepted and explored while others are restricted, suggesting that intellectual freedom is a fundamental principle that should be universally upheld.
Themes
Free ThinkingMoralsPoliticsChemistryBiology
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a debate about academic freedom in educational institutions.
More from Auguste Comte
All quotes →nd now that man's history has been for the first time systematically considered as a whole, and has been found to be, like all other phenomena, subject to invariable laws, the preparatory labours of modern Science are ended.
Auguste ComteRead
The sacred formula of positivism: love as a principle, the order as a foundation, and progress as a goal.
Auguste ComteRead
Language forms a kind of wealth, which all can make use of at once without causing any diminution of the store, and which thus admits a complete community of enjoyment; for all, freely participating in the general treasure, unconsciously aid in its preservation.
Auguste ComteRead
To understand a science it is necessary to know its history.
Auguste ComteRead
Similar quotes
Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one.
George OrwellRead
Anything that just costs money is cheap.
John SteinbeckRead
All of [the] activities here have a surreptitious end-of-the-world feel to them:... these joggers sleepwalking in the mist like shadow's who have escaped from Plato's cave
Jean BaudrillardRead
A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
If our extinction proceeds slowly enough to allow a moment of horrified realization, the doers of the deed will likely be quite taken aback on realizing that they have actually destroyed the world. Therefore I suggest that if the Earth is destroyed, it will probably be by mistake.
Eliezer YudkowskyRead
I was told by my grandfather who was a minister that we all were put here on earth to be of service to one another, and it is quite gratifying to know that if I am able to be of help to one that is not able to help themselves then I am fulfilling my obligation as a human being.
Dionne WarwickRead