An attempt to study the evolution of living organisms without reference to cytology would be as futile as an account of stellar evolution which ignored spectroscopy.
And if we must educate our poets and artists in science, we must educate our masters, labour and capital, in art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Education in the arts is just as important as education in the sciences for all levels of society.
This quote by John B. S. Haldane emphasizes the importance of integrating artistic education into society, suggesting that it is essential not only for poets and artists but should also extend to those who hold power in labor and capital. He argues for a balanced approach in education that values creativity and art alongside the empirical understanding provided by science, reflecting on the interconnectedness of these disciplines in fostering a well-rounded society.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be referenced during a panel discussion on the importance of arts education in schools.
More from John B. S. Haldane
All quotes βUntil politics are a branch of science, we shall do well to regard political and social reforms as experiments rather than short-cuts to the millennium.
A time will however come (as I believe) when physiology will invade and destroy mathematical physics, as the latter has destroyed geometry.
My final word, before I'm done, Is "Cancer can be rather fun"- Provided one confronts the tumour with a sufficient sense of humour. I know that cancer often kills, But so do cars and sleeping pills; And it can hurt till one sweats, So can bad teeth and unpaid debts. A spot of laughter, I am sure, Often accelerates one's cure; So let us patients do our bit To help the surgeons make us fit.
My practise as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel, or devil is going to interfere with its course; and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my professional career. I should therefore be intellectually dishonest if I were not also atheistic in the affairs of the world. And I should be a coward if I did not state my theoretical views in public.
It wasn't until I had performed by first autopsy that I realized that even the drabest human exteriors could contain the most beautiful viscera. After that, I would console myself for the plainness of my fellow bus-riders by dissecting them in my imagination.
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