Quotes About Science

For political science does not make men, but takes them from nature and uses them; and nature provides them with food from different elements of earth, air, or sea.

Every science seeks certain principles and causes for each of its objects—e.g. medicine and gymnastics and each of the other sciences, whether productive or mathematical. For each of these marks off a certain class of things for itself and busies itself about this as about something existing and real—not however qua real; the science that does this is another distinct from these.

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware, the nonexistence of Zeus or Thor, but they have few followers now.

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. 2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. 3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Open the pod bay doors, Hal.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.

Even by the twenty-second century, no way had yet been discovered of keeping elderly and conservative scientists from occupying crucial administrative positions. Indeed, it was doubted if the problem ever would be solved.

It is a good principle in science not to believe any 'fact'---however well attested---until it fits into some accepted frame of reference. Occasionally, of course, an observation can shatter the frame and force the construction of a new one, but that is extremely rare. Galileos and Einsteins seldom appear more than once per century, which is just as well for the equanimity of mankind.

Because politics is the science of the possible, it only appeals to second-rate minds. The first raters only interested in the impossible

I'm a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.

Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets.

This hydrogen was under such enormous pressure that it had become a metal.

Toda tecnología lo suficientemente avanzada es indistinguible de la magia.

The core of Jupiter, forever beyond human reach, was a diamond as big as the Earth.

You will find men like him in all the world's religions. They know that we represent reason and science, and, however confident they may be in their beliefs, they fear that we will overthrow their gods. Not necessarily through any deliberate act, but in a subtler fashion. Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets.

Well, I guess [2001: A Space Odyssey] legitimized [science fiction], particularly for people who looked down on science fiction; you know, the intelligentsia. My definition of the intelligentsia: someone who's educated beyond their intelligence.

To be a science fiction writer you must be interested in the future and you must feel that the future will be different and hopefully better than the present. Although I know that most — that many science fiction writings have been anti-utopias — 1984, as an example. And the reason for that is that it's much easier and more exciting to write about a really nasty future than a — placid, peaceful one.

an expressive phrase coined by a Princeton mathematician of the last century: "Wormholes in space.

Belief in God is apparently a psychological arti-fact of mammalian reproduction.

Anything that had happened once on Earth should be expected millions of times elsewhere in the Universe; that was almost an article of faith among scientists.

Can you sum up your ideas in less than—oh, a thousand bits?

Michael O'Toole had no difficulty recognizing which questions in life should be answered by physics and which ones by religion.