Ten long trips around the sun since I last saw that smile, but only joy and thankfulness that on a tiny world in the vastness, for a couple of moments in the immensity of time, we were one.
Science reserves the highest reward for those of you who disprove our most cherished beliefs. At any moment someone from any walk of life could come forward and be responsible for a complete revision of our view of everything.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Science values those who challenge established beliefs, as they can lead to significant advancements in understanding.
This quote emphasizes the importance of skepticism and critical thinking in science. It suggests that true progress often comes from individuals who question accepted truths and challenge the status quo, potentially leading to a complete overhaul of our understanding of the universe. Ann Druyan highlights the unpredictable nature of discovery, implying that anyone, regardless of their background, can contribute to profound changes in knowledge and belief systems.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on scientific inquiry, this quote can be used to inspire students to embrace skepticism and innovation.
More from Ann Druyan
All quotes →I've been thinking about the distorted view of science that prevails in our culture. I've been wondering about this, because our civilization is completely dependent on science and high technology, yet most of us are alienated from science.
It is a great tragedy that science, this wonderful process for finding out what is true, has ceded the spiritual uplift of its central revelations: the vastness of the universe, the immensity of time, the relatedness of all life, and life's preciousness on our tiny planet.
Similar quotes
Science would not be what it is if there had not been a Galileo, a Newton or a Lavoisier, any more than music would be what it is if Bach, Beethoven and Wagner had never lived. The world as we know it is the product of its geniuses-and there may be evil as well as beneficent genius-and to deny that fact, is to stultify all history, whether it be that of the intellectual or the economic world.
Often the great scientists, by turning the problem around a bit, changed a defect to an asset. For example, many scientists when they found they couldn't do a problem finally began to study why not. They then turned it around the other way and said, "But of course, this is what it is" and got an important result.
The brain of man, like that of all animals is double, being parted down its centre by a thin membrane. For this reason pain is not always felt in the same part of the head, but sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other, and occasionally all over.
Discover the force of the skies O Men: once recognised it can be put to use.
It was like a new world opened to me, the world of science, which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty.
We must expect the discovery of many as yet unknown elements-for example, elements analogous to aluminum and silicon- whose atomic weight would be between 65 and 75.