Whether in the intellectual pursuits of science or in the mystical pursuits of the spirit, the light beckons ahead, and the purpose surging in our nature responds.
Arthur EddingtonRead
Man is slightly nearer to the atom than to the star. ... From his central position man can survey the grandest works of Nature with the astronomer, or the minutest works with the physicist. ... [K]nowledge of the stars leads through the atom; and important knowledge of the atom has been reached through the stars.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the interconnectedness of knowledge in both astronomy and physics, highlighting the relationship between the vast and the minute.
Arthur Eddington's quote illustrates the idea that understanding the universe encompasses both the grand scale of celestial bodies and the intricate details of atomic structures. It suggests that our knowledge is not limited to one extreme but is a continuum that connects the immense cosmic phenomena with the fundamental particles that constitute matter. Eddington points to a profound unity in nature, where insights from one field of study can enhance our comprehension of another.
Themes
KnowledgeUniverseInterconnectednessScienceNature
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the significance of scientific research, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of both astronomy and physics.
More from Arthur Eddington
All quotes →The physical world is entirely abstract and without actuality apart from its linkage to consciousness.
Arthur EddingtonRead
It is one thing for the human mind to extract from the phenomena of nature the laws which it has itself put into them; it may be a far harder thing to extract laws over which it has no control. It is even possible that laws which have not their origin in the mind may be irrational, and we can never succeed in formulating them.
Arthur EddingtonRead
Whatever else there may be in our nature, responsibility toward truth is one of its attributes.
Arthur EddingtonRead
In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper. It is all symbolic, and as a symbol the physicist leaves it. ... The frank realisation that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances.
Arthur EddingtonRead
So far as physics is concerned, time's arrow is a property of entropy alone.
Arthur EddingtonRead
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