Quotes About Observation

It is undoubtedly true that Galileo didn't intend to challenge the very theological foundations of the Church of Rome by observing the Moon through a telescope. But scientific discoveries, however innocuous they may seem at first sight, have a way of undermining those who don't much care for facts. Reality catches up with everyone eventually. With

Science is delighted frustration. It is about asking questions, to which the answers may be unavailable – now, or perhaps ever. It is about noticing regularities, asserting that these regularities must have natural explanations and searching for those explanations.

questions by doing science. We will observe, measure and think. One of the great joys of science is to understand something for the first time–to really understand, which is very different from, and far more satisfying than, knowing the facts.

it only ever makes sense to speak of motion relative to something else.

First we guess it. Then we – now don't laugh, that's really true – then we compute the consequences of the guess to see what, if this is right, if this law that we guessed is right, to see what it would imply. And then we compare the computation results to nature, or we say compare to experiment or experience, compare it directly with observations to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment, it's wrong.

Occam's razor is an important tool in science. It shouldn't be oversold; nature can be complex and bizarre. But as a rule of thumb, it is most sensible to adopt the simplest explanation for an observation until the evidence overwhelms it.

Russell's point is not to assert his right to be left alone to his personal delusions, but that devising a theory that cannot be proved or disproved by observation is pointless in the sense that it teaches you nothing, irrespective of how passionately you may believe in it. You can invent any object or idea you like, but if there is no way of observing it or its consequences, you haven't made a contribution to the scientific understanding of the universe.

Heisenberg removed the conceit that the workings of Nature should necessarily accord with common sense.

to arouse suspicion over time. So far, surprisingly

I paint the spirit and soul of what I see.

Two objections are often raised when considering these passages. First, that they use phenomenal language. That is, they describe simply what the viewer observes and makes no cosmological claims beyond simply description of what one sees. We even use these terms of the sun rising and setting today and we know the earth moves around the sun. Fair enough.

The only problem is that the ancient writers were pre-scientific and did not know the earth went around the sun, so when they said the sun was moving from one end of the heavens to the other they believed reality was exactly as they observed it. They had absolutely no reason to believe in a "phenomenal distinction" between their observation and reality.[93]

The most common type of race condition is check-then-act, where a potentially stale observation is used to make a decision on what to do next. [4]

things are the way they are in our universe because if they weren't, we wouldn't be here to notice.

things are the way they are in our universe because if they Weren't, we would not be here to notice.

So: if you buy the notion that reality consists of the things in your freeze-frame mental image right now, and if you agree that your now is no more valid than the now of someone located far away in space who can move freely, then reality encompasses all of the events in spacetime.

A little (one) can sometimes see things in others that us older ones cannot because our judgement gets clouded. —Abbot Saxtus

Maupassant used to eat at the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower because it was the only place in Paris where he did not risk seeing the Eiffel Tower.

True science begins with observation.

He felt that both parts of his life were continually 'spying on each other', and developed the ability to step into and out of either world.

How to see a vampire in three easy steps: 1. Get up. 2. Find a mirror. 3. Look at your first vampire.

You just sit down at the typewriter and follow the character around. It's like being a detective. You write page after page after page just finding out who they are. You wait for them to do something interesting.

When a kid says "smell my hand," it almost never smells like cinnamon.

You either see it or you don't.