Science has a simple faith, which transcends utility... It is the faith that it is the privilege of man to learn to understand, and that this is his mission.
Vannevar BushRead
As long as scientists are free to pursue the truth wherever it may lead, there will be a flow of new scientific knowledge to those who can apply it to practical problems.
Interpretation
Scientific freedom leads to practical advancements and applications of knowledge.
This quote emphasizes the importance of scientific freedom in the pursuit of truth. It suggests that when scientists are allowed to explore and investigate without restrictions, they can generate new knowledge that can then be applied to solve real-world problems, ultimately benefiting society at large.
In practice
In a seminar discussing the role of science in society, this quote could illustrate the importance of academic freedom.
Science has a simple faith, which transcends utility... It is the faith that it is the privilege of man to learn to understand, and that this is his mission.
To pursue science is not to disparage the things of the spirit. In fact, to pursue science rightly is to furnish the framework on which the spirit may rise.
A record, if it is to be useful to science, must be continuously extended, it must be stored, and above all it must be consulted.
A belief may be larger than a fact.
Basic scientific research is scientific capital.
Fear cannot be banished, but it can be calm and without panic; it can be mitigated by reason and evaluation.
The real accomplishment of modern science and technology consists in taking ordinary men, informing them narrowly and deeply and then, through appropriate organization, arranging to have their knowledge combined with that of other specialized but equally ordinary men. This dispenses with the need for genius. The resulting performance, though less inspiring, is far more predictable.
All great scientists have, in a certain sense, been great artists; the man with no imagination may collect facts, but he cannot make great discoveries.
Working out another system to replace Newton's laws took a long time because phenomena at the atomic level were quite strange. One had to lose one's common sense in order to perceive what was happening at the atomic level.
Do I get grief for the fact that in communicating, say, about the baboons I'm doing so much anthropomorphizing? One hopes that the parts that are blatantly ridiculous will be perceived as such. I've nonetheless been stunned by some of my more humorless colleagues - to see that they were not capable of recognizing that.
Politicians, real-estate agents, used-car salesmen, and advertising copy-writers are expected to stretch facts in self-serving directions, but scientists who falsify their results are regarded by their peers as committing an inexcusable crime. Yet the sad fact is that the history of science swarms with cases of outright fakery and instances of scientists who unconsciously distorted their work by seeing it through lenses of passionately held beliefs.
It is essential to understand our brains in some detail if we are to assess correctly our place in this vast and complicated universe we see all around us.
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