Science is rooted in the will to truth. With the will to truth it stands or falls. Lower the standard even slightly and science becomes diseased at the core. Not only science, but man. The will to truth, pure and unadulterated, is among the essential conditions of his existence; if the standard is compromised he easily becomes a kind of tragic caricature of himself.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the essential role of a commitment to truth in the practice of science and human existence.
Max Wertheimer's quote highlights that science relies fundamentally on the pursuit of truth; without this commitment, its integrity is compromised, leading to a degradation not only of scientific inquiry but also of human identity. The assertion underlines that when standards are lowered, both science and humanity risk becoming distorted reflections of their true selves, suggesting that a pure adherence to truth is vital for genuine existence.
In practice
During a science conference, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of ethical standards in research.
The basic thesis of gestalt theory might be formulated thus: there are contexts in which what is happening in the whole cannot be deduced from the characteristics of the separate pieces, but conversely; what happens to a part of the whole is, in clearcut cases, determined by the laws of the inner structure of its whole.
There are wholes, the behavior of which is not determined by that of their individual elements, but where the part-processes are themselves determined by the intrinsic nature of the whole. It is the hope of Gestalt theory to determine the nature of such wholes.
Thinking consists in envisaging, realizing structural features and structural requirements; proceeding in accordance with, and determined by, these requirements; thereby changing the situation in the direction of structural improvements.
When it comes to the things that people really want in science fiction - like space travel - the simplest things end up causing them not to happen. Humans are 100-pound bags of water, built to live on Earth.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm as famous for my wheelchair and disabilities as I am for my discoveries.
I've had a chance to fly a lot of different airplanes, but it was nothing like the shuttle ride.
I'm proud of the fact that I thought of the solar wind. It was an exercise in pursuing curiosity, which is the main motivation for studying physics from a personal standpoint.
Science is nothing but developed perception, interpreted intent, common sense rounded out and minutely articulated.
Ideas which have been developed simultaneously or in immediate succession in the same mind mutually reproduce each other, and do this with greater ease in the direction of the original succession and with a certainty proportional to the frequency with which they were together
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