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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the difficulty of understanding laws of nature that exist independently of human perception and thought.
Arthur Eddington's quote delves into the relationship between the human mind and the natural world, suggesting that while humans can identify and formulate laws imposed by their own understanding of nature, it becomes significantly more challenging to comprehend laws that exist beyond human influence. Eddington warns that some such laws may even be irrational, highlighting the limitations of human cognition in grasping the fundamental rules that govern the universe.
Themes
LawsNatureMindUnderstandingPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the limits of scientific knowledge.
More from Arthur Eddington
All quotes →The physical world is entirely abstract and without actuality apart from its linkage to consciousness.
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Whatever else there may be in our nature, responsibility toward truth is one of its attributes.
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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.
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So far as physics is concerned, time's arrow is a property of entropy alone.
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A star is drawing on some vast reservoir of energy by means unknown to us. This reservoir can scarcely be other than the subatomic energy which, it is known exists abundantly in all matter; we sometimes dream that man will one day learn how to release it and use it for his service. The store is well nigh inexhaustible, if only it could be tapped. There is sufficient in the Sun to maintain its output of heat for 15 billion years.
Arthur EddingtonRead
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