Do you know what we call opinion in the absence of evidence? We call it prejudice.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that opinions without supporting evidence are essentially biases or prejudices.
Michael Crichton's quote highlights the danger of forming opinions without a solid foundation of evidence. It suggests that such opinions are not just flawed but are intrinsically biased, implying that rational thought and judgment require substantiation to be deemed valid or reasonable.
In practice
During a debate on social issues, one might use this quote to remind others to support their statements with facts.
In other centuries, human beings wanted to be saved, or improved, or freed, or educated. But in our century, they want to be entertained. The great fear is not of disease or death, but of boredom. A sense of time on our hands, a sense of nothing to do. A sense that we are not amused.
Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet - or to save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves.
Scientific research was much like prospecting: you went out and you hunted, armed with your maps and instruments, but in the ened your preparations did not matter, or even your intuition. You needed your luck, and whatever benefits accrued to the diligent, through sheer, grinding hard work.
Living systems are never in equilibrium. They are inherently unstable. They may seem stable, but theyβre not. Everything is moving and changing. In a sense, everything is on the edge of collapse.
The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.'
A wonderful area for speculative academic work is the unknowable. These days religious subjects are in disfavor, but there are still plenty of good topics. The nature of consciousness, the workings of the brain, the origin of aggression, the origin of language, the origin of life on earth, SETI and life on other worlds...this is all great stuff. Wonderful stuff. You can argue it interminably. But it can't be contradicted, because nobody knows the answer to any of these topics.
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
Philosophy as practice does not mean its restriction to utility or applicability, that is, to what serves morality or produces serenity of soul.
In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority.
Every Socialist outbreak only blazes new paths for Capitalism.
I think doctors care very deeply about their patients, but when they organize into the AMA, their responsibility is to the welfare of doctors, and quite often, these lobbying groups are the only ones that are heard in the state capitols and in the capitol of our country.
What delights us in visible beauty is the invisible.
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