If there is no solace in the fruits of our research, there is at least some consolation in the research itself. Men and women are not content to comfort themselves with tales of gods and giants, or to confine their thoughts to the daily affairs of life; they also build telescopes and satellites and accelerators and sit at their desks for endless hours working out the meaning of the data they gather.
Interpretation
The pursuit of knowledge is valuable, even if it doesn't yield comforting results.
In this quote, Steven Weinberg suggests that the act of researching and seeking understanding is inherently valuable, regardless of whether the findings provide immediate solace or comfort. He emphasizes that human beings have a deep desire to explore and comprehend the universe, going beyond mere myths or daily concerns, as shown by their efforts in building complex instruments and dedicating their time to unravel the mysteries of existence.
In practice
A scientist might use this quote during a conference to emphasize the value of research despite its challenges.
It was one time when people thought the value of the fine structure constant was important. Now of course it's still important, of course, as a practical matter,but we now know that the value it has is a function, that in any fundamental theory you derive the fine structure constant as a function of all sorts of mass ratios and so on and it's not really that fundamental.
Americans swept away the instruments of English hereditary inequality - entails and titles of nobility - even before we had a constitution.
It's very difficult to convince other countries that they shouldn't pursue nuclear weapons programs if we ourselves are actively developing a component of a strategic defense system.
[Science] is corrosive of religious belief, and it's a good thing too.
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
I'm offended by the kind of smarmy religiosity that's all around us, perhaps more in America than in Europe, and not really that harmful because it's not really that intense or even that serious, but just... you know after a while you get tired of hearing clergymen giving the invocation at various public celebrations and you feel, haven't we outgrown all this? Do we have to listen to this?
Based on the science, you can make somewhat clear statements: The number of people who can survive on six hours of sleep without impairment is zero.
I cannot stress often enough that what science is all about is not proving things to be true but proving them to be false.
Whether you can go back in time is held in the grip of the law of quantum gravity.
Among physicists, I'm respected I hope.
The existence of nuclear weapons presents a clear and present danger to life on Earth.
Eventually we must leave Earth-at least a certain number of our progeny must as our sun approaches the end of its solar life cycle. But just as terrestrial explorers have always led the way for settlers, this will also happen extraterrestrially. Earth is our cradle, not our final destiny.
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