Quotes About Theory

Sociology should... be thought of as a science of action-of the ultimate common value element in its relations to the other elements of action.

The entire annals of Observation probably do not elsewhere exhibit so extraordinary a verification of any theoretical conjecture adventured on by the human spirit!

Entropy theory, on the other hand, is not concerned with the probability of succession in a series of items but with the overall distribution of kinds of items in a given arrangement.

I belong to those theoreticians who know by direct observation what it means to make a measurement. Methinks it were better if there were more of them.

There is only one science, physics: everything else is social work.

You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 10-12 to 1.

[Gauss calculated the elements of the planet Ceres] and his analysis proved him to be the first of theoretical astronomers no less than the greatest of 'arithmeticians.'

The hypotheses we accept ought to explain phenomena which we have observed. But they ought to do more than this: our hypotheses ought to foretell phenomena which have not yet been observed.

From the scientific view, the theory of karma may be a metaphysical assumption -- but it is no more so than the assumption that all of life is material and originated out of pure chance

There is no branch of mathematics, however abstract, which may not some day be applied to phenomena of the real world.

What is especially striking and remarkable is that in fundamental physics a beautiful or elegant theory is more likely to be right than a theory that is inelegant.

It is the theory which decides what we can observe

The theory of science which permits and encourages the exclusion of so much that is true and real and existent cannot be considered a comprehensive science.

You have nothing to do but mention the quantum theory, and people will take your voice for the voice of science, and belive anything.

All exact science is dominated by the idea of approximation.

There is no such thing as economics, only social science applied to economic problems.

It is human to search for the theory of everything and it is superhuman to find it.

All we can do is search for the falsity content in our best theory.

A new theory is guilty until proven innocent, and the pre-existing theory innocent until proven guilty ... Continental drift was guilty until proven innocent.

The only goal of science is the honour of the human spirit, and a question in number theory is worth a question concerning the system of the world.

String theory is an attempt at a deeper description of nature by thinking of an elementary particle not as a little point but as a little loop of vibrating string.

We must alter theory to adapt it to nature, but not nature to adapt it to theory.

No generalizing beyond the data, no theory. No theory, no insight. And if no insight, why do research.

Whenever anyone says, 'theoretically', they really mean, 'not really'.