Law quotes
From Motley Bytes Wiki
Contents
- 1 Arthur_Bloch
- 1.1 Murphy's Law
- 1.2 Murphy's Law Corollary 1
- 1.3 Murphy's Law Corollary 2
- 1.4 Murphy's Law Corollary 3
- 1.5 Murphy's Law Corollary 4
- 1.6 Murphy's Law Corollary 5
- 1.7 Murphy's Law Corollary 6
- 1.8 Murphy's Law Corollary 7
- 1.9 Murphy's Law Corollary 8
- 1.10 Murphy's Law Corollary 9
- 1.11 Murphy's Law Corollary 10
- 1.12 O'toole's Commentary On Murphy's Law
- 1.13 Iles's Law
- 1.14 Scott's First Law
- 1.15 Scott's Second Law
- 1.16 Finagle's First Law
- 1.17 Finagle's Second Law
- 1.18 Finagle's Third Law
- 1.19 Finagle's Fourth Law
- 1.20 Finagle's Rules
- 1.21 Sodd's First Law
- 1.22 Sodd's Second Law
- 2 Dietrich_Bonhoeffer
- 3 Fred_Brooks
- 4 Francis_Chisholm
- 5 Arthur_C_Clarke
- 6 Melvin_Conway
- 7 Peter_Drucker
- 8 English_Proverbs
- 9 Epicurus
- 10 Michael_Faraday
- 11 Samuel_C_Florman
- 12 Allen_Ginsberg
- 13 Richard_Hamming
- 14 Stephen_Hawking
- 15 Grace_Hopper
- 16 M_King_Hubbert
- 17 Edwin_Hubble
- 18 Charles_Issawi
- 19 Carl_Jung
- 20 Bernardo_Kastrup
- 21 John_F_Kennedy
- 22 Brian_Kernighan
- 23 David_Kipping
- 24 Pierre-Simon_Laplace
- 25 Abraham_Maslow
- 26 Edward_A_Murphy
- 27 Joel_Pel
- 28 Roger_Penrose
- 29 Alan_Perlis
- 30 Steven_Pinker
- 31 Karl_Popper
- 32 Hans_Reichenbach
- 33 Bertrand_Russell
- 34 George_Sarton
- 35 Melvin_Schwartz
- 36 Rebecca_Shafir
- 37 Adam_Smith
- 38 Adam_Smith
- 39 Alfred_Tarski
- 40 Alfred_Russel_Wallace
- 41 Gerald_Weinberg
- 42 Eugene_Wigner
- 43 Stephen_Wolfram
- 44 See Also
Arthur_Bloch
Murphy's Law
“If anything can go wrong, it will.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by [Price/Stern/Sloan](Los Angeles, California). ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter ‘Murphology’, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Engineering_quotes Anything_quotes Can_quotes Go_quotes Wrong_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes Law_quotes
Murphy's Law Corollary 1
“Nothing is as easy as it looks.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Nothing_quotes Easy_quotes Look_quotes Law_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes
Murphy's Law Corollary 2
"Everything takes longer than you think."
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Everything_quotes Take_quotes Longer_quotes Think_quotes Law_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes
Murphy's Law Corollary 3
“If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
Murphy's Law Corollary 4
"If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way will promptly develop."
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
Murphy's Law Corollary 5
“Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Left_quotes Themselves_quotes Tend_quotes Go_quotes Bad_quotes Worse_quotes Law_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes
Murphy's Law Corollary 6
“Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
Murphy's Law Corollary 7
“Every solution breeds new problems.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Every_quotes Solution_quotes Breed_quotes New_quotes Problem_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes Law_quotes
Murphy's Law Corollary 8
“It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Impossible_quotes Make_quotes Anything_quotes Foolproof_quotes Fool_quotes Ingenious_quotes Law_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes
Murphy's Law Corollary 9
“Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Nature_quotes Always_quotes Side_quotes Hidden_quotes Flaw_quotes Law_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes
Murphy's Law Corollary 10
“Mother nature is a bitch.”
- Source: Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 11.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Mother_quotes Nature_quotes Bitch_quotes Law_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes
O'toole's Commentary On Murphy's Law
“Murphy was an optimist.”
- Source: Attributed to O'toole, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 12.
- Notes: Who O'toole was has not been reliably identified.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Optimist_quotes Law_quotes Murphy(topic)_quotes
Iles's Law
“There is always an easier way to do it. When looking directly at the easier way, especially for long periods, you will not see it.”
- Source: Attributed to Iles, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 13.
- Notes: Who Iles was has not been reliably identified.
- See Also:
Scott's First Law
“No matter what goes wrong, it will probably look right.”
- Source: Attributed to Scott, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 14.
- Notes: Who Scott was has not been reliably identified.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Murphy(topic)_quotes Law_quotes Matter_quotes Go_quotes Wrong_quotes Probably_quotes Look_quotes Right_quotes
Scott's Second Law
“When an error has been detected and corrected, it will be found to have been correct in the first place.
Corollary: After the correction has been found in error, it will be impossible to fit the original quantity back into the equation.”
- Source: Attributed to Scott, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 14-15.
- Notes: Who Scott was has not been reliably identified.
- See Also:
Finagle's First Law
“If an experiment works, something has gone wrong.”
- Source: Attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 15.
- Notes: Often attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, its true origin remains uncertain and likely derived from multiple sources. See https://www.devx.com/terms/finagles-law/.
- Keywords: Murphy(topic)_quotes Law_quotes Experiment_quotes Work_quotes Go_quotes Wrong_quotes Something_quotes
Finagle's Second Law
“No matter what the anticipated result, there will always be someone eager to (a) misinterpret it, (b) fake it, (c) believe it happened to his own pet theory.”
- Source: Attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 15.
- Notes: Often attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, its true origin remains uncertain and likely derived from multiple sources. See https://www.devx.com/terms/finagles-law/.
Finagle's Third Law
“In any collection of data, the figure most obviously correct, beyond all need of checking, is the mistake.
Corollaries:
1. No one whom you ask for help will see it.
2. Everyone who stops by with unsought advice will see it immediately.”
- Source: Attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 15.
- Notes: Often attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, its true origin remains uncertain and likely derived from multiple sources. See https://www.devx.com/terms/finagles-law/.
Finagle's Fourth Law
“Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it only makes it worse.”
- Source: Attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 15.
- Notes: Often attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, its true origin remains uncertain and likely derived from multiple sources. See https://www.devx.com/terms/finagles-law/.
- Keywords: Murphy(topic)_quotes Law_quotes Job_quotes Foul_quotes Anything_quotes Do_quotes Improve_quotes Make_quotes Worse_quotes
Finagle's Rules
1. “To study a subject best, understand it thoroughly before you start.” 2. “Always keep a record of data — it indicates you've been working.” 3. “Always draw your curves, then plot your reading.” 4. “In case of doubt, make it sound convincing.” 5. “Experiments should be reproducible — they should all fail in the same way.” 6. “Do no believe in miracles — rely on them.”
- Source: Attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition publish in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 16.
- Notes: Often attributed to a fictional character named Finagle, its true origin remains uncertain and likely derived from multiple sources. See https://www.devx.com/terms/finagles-law/.
- Keywords: Murphy(topic)_quotes Law_quotes Study_quotes Subject_quotes Best_quotes Understand_quotes Before_quotes Start_quotes Always_quotes Keep_quotes Record_quotes Data_quotes Indicate_quotes Work_quotes Draw_quotes Curve_quotes Plot_quotes Read_quotes Case_quotes Doubt_quotes Make_quotes Sound_quotes Convince_quotes Experiment_quotes Reproducible_quotes Fail_quotes Same_quotes Way_quotes Believe_quotes Miricle_quotes Rely_quotes
Sodd's First Law
“When a person attempts a task, he or she will be thwarted in that task by the unconscious intervention of some other presence (animate or inanimate). Nevertheless, some tasks are completed, since the intervening presence is itself attempting a task and is, of course, subject to interference.”
- Source: Attributed to an unidentified person called Sodd, reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 17.
- Notes: Who Sodd was has not been reliably identified.
Sodd's Second Law
“Sooner or later, the worst possible set of circumstances is bound to occur.
Corollary: Any system must be designed to withstand the worst possible set of circumstances.”
- Source: Attributed to an unidentified person called Sodd, reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition publish in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 17.
- Notes: Who Sodd was has not been reliably identified.
- Keywords: Murphy(topic)_quotes Law_quotes Worse_quotes Possible_quotes Circumstance_quotes Occur_quotes System_quotes Design_quotes Withstand_quotes
Dietrich_Bonhoeffer
Stupidity Power
“Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. It would even seem that this is virtually a sociological-psychological law. The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.”
- Source: From the paper “An Account at the Turn of the Year 1942-1943” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, contained within the book “Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Volume 8: Letters and Papers from Prison” edited by John W. Gruchy, et al. Published in 2009 by Fortress Press.
- Keywords: Stupid_quotes Close_quotes Observation_quotes Apparent_quotes Every_quotes Strong_quotes Upsurge_quotes Power_quotes Public_quotes Sphere_quotes Political_quotes Religious_quotes Nature_quotes Infect_quotes Large_quotes Part_quotes Humankind_quotes Seem_quotes Virtual_quotes Sociology_quotes Psychology_quotes Law_quotes One_quotes Other_quotes
Fred_Brooks
Brooks' Law
“Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.”
- Source: Brooks Jr., F. P. (1995). The Mythical Man-Month - Essays on Software Engineering (Anniversary Edition) | 1975/1995 (Anniv.). Boston. MA: Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0201835959. Chapter 2, page 25. Known as Brooks' Law.
Child Bearing Task Law
“The bearing of a child takes nine months, no matter how many women are assigned. Many software tasks have this characteristic because of the sequential nature of debugging.”
- Source: Brooks Jr., F. P. (1995). The Mythical Man-Month - Essays on Software Engineering (Anniversary Edition) | 1975/1995 (Anniv.). Boston. MA: Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0201835959. Chapter 2, page 17.
- Keywords: Child_Bearing_quotes Human_Resources_quotes Programming_quotes Programmer_quotes Productivity_quotes Project_Management_quotes Software_quotes Debugging_quotes Sequential_quotes Law_quotes Bearing_quotes Child_quotes Month_quotes Women_quotes Assign_quotes Management_quotes Task_quotes Characteristic_quotes Nature_quotes
Francis_Chisholm
Chisholm's 1st Law of Human Interaction
“Chisholm's 1st Law of Human Interaction. If anything can go wrong, it will.
Corollary: If anything just can’t go wrong, it will anyway.”- Source: From the essay “The Chisholm Effect” by Francis P. Chisholm, included in the anthology “A Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown: Essays for a Scientific Age” edited by Robert A. Baker, published by Prentice Hall in 1982. ISBN: 0138526087, ISBN: 978-0138526085.
- Keywords: Law_quotes Chisholm(topic)_quotes Human_quotes Interaction_quotes Anything_quotes Go_quotes Wrong_quotes Anyway_quotes
Chisholm's 2nd Law of Human Interaction
“Chisholm's 2nd Law of Human Interaction. When things are going well, something will go wrong.
Corollary 1: When things just can’t get any worse, they will.
Corollary 2: Anytime things appear to be going better, you have overlooked something.”- Source: From the essay “The Chisholm Effect” by Francis P. Chisholm, included in the anthology “A Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown: Essays for a Scientific Age” edited by Robert A. Baker, published by Prentice Hall in 1982. ISBN: 0138526087, ISBN: 978-0138526085.
Chisholm's 3rd Law of Human Interaction
“Chisholm's 3rd Law of Human Interaction. Purposes, as understood by the purposer, will be judged otherwise by others.
Corollary 1: If you explain so clearly that nobody can misunderstand, somebody will.
Corollary 2: If you do something which you are sure will meet with everybody’s approval, somebody won’t like it.
Corollary 3: Procedures devised to implement the purpose won’t quite work.
Corollary 4: No matter how long or how many times you explain, no one is listening.”- Source: From the essay “The Chisholm Effect” by Francis P. Chisholm, included in the anthology “A Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown: Essays for a Scientific Age” edited by Robert A. Baker, published by Prentice Hall in 1982. ISBN: 0138526087, ISBN: 978-0138526085.
- Keywords: Law_quotes Chisholm(topic)_quotes Human_quotes Interaction_quotes Purpose_quotes Understood_quotes Judge_quotes Explain_quotes Clear_quotes Nobody_quotes Misunderstand_quotes Do_quotes Meet_quotes Everybody_quotes Approve_quotes Somebody_quotes Like_quotes Procedure_quotes Devise_quotes Implement_quotes Work_quotes Matter_quotes Long_quotes Time_quotes Listen_quotes
Arthur_C_Clarke
Clarke's First Law
“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.”
- Source: Arthur C. Clarke in his book ‘Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry Into the Limits of the Possible’, published 1962 by HMH Publishing, Revised edition, within chapter 2 ‘Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination’.
Clarke's Second Law
“The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.”
- Source: Arthur C. Clarke in his book ‘Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry Into the Limits of the Possible’, published 1962 by HMH Publishing, Revised edition, within chapter 2 ‘Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination’.
- Keywords: Way_quotes Discover_quotes Limit_quotes Possible_quotes Venture_quotes Little_quotes Past_quotes Impossible_quotes Law_quotes
Clarke's Third Law
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
- Source: Arthur C. Clarke in his book ‘Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry Into the Limits of the Possible’, published 1962 by HMH Publishing, Revised edition, within chapter 2 ‘Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination’.
- Keywords: Law_quotes Sufficient_quotes Advance_quotes Technology_quotes Indistinguish_quotes Magic_quotes
Melvin_Conway
Conway's Law
"Organizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations."
- Source: Melvin E. Conway, A paper entitled “How Do Committees Invent?” published April, 1968, in Datamation magazine, online at http://www.melconway.com
/Home /Committees_Paper.html accessed 2018-03-25.
Peter_Drucker
Drucker's Law
“Engineers speak half–jokingly about Murphy's Law: 'If anything can go wrong, it will.' But complexity stands under a second law as well. Let me call it Drucker's law: 'If one thing goes wrong, everything else will, and at the same time.'”
- Source: Peter F. Drucker, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, New York: Harper & Row, 1973. p. 681.
English_Proverbs
Laws of Philosophy
“The first law of philosophy: For every philosopher, there exists an equal and opposite philosopher. The second law of philosophy: They're both wrong.”
- Source: Shared in chapter 2 of the book "The Universe - Solved!"; written by Jim Elvidge; Published in 2007 by Alternate Theories Press; ISBN 978-1-4243-3626-5.
- Keywords: First_quotes Law_quotes Philosophy_quotes Philosopher_quotes Existing_quotes Equal_quotes Opposite_quotes Wrong_quotes
Epicurus
Tetrapharmakos
“Don't fear god;
Don't worry about death;
What is good is easy to get;
What is terrible is easy to endure.”- Greek:
"Ἄφοβον ὁ θεός
ἀνύποπτον ὁ θάνατος
καὶ τἀγαθὸν μὲν εὔκτητον
τὸ δὲ δεινὸν εὐεκκαρτέρητον" - Note: The "Tetrapharmakos" (τετραφάρμακος), or "The four-part cure" of Epicurus, from the 'Herculaneum Papyrus', 1005, 4.9–14 of Philodemus, as translated in The Epicurus Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia (1994) edited by D. S. Hutchinson, p. vi
- Source: Attributed to Epicurus by Philodemus, Herculaneum Papyrus, 1005, 4.9–14 (79 CE).
Michael_Faraday
Wonderful Dream
“All this is a dream. Still, examine it by a few experiments. Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature; and in such things as these, experiment is the best test of such consistency.”
- Source: Laboratory/Journal/Writer=Michael Faraday; Entry/Id=#10,040; Entry/Date=1849-03-19; Book/Title=“The Life and Letters of Faraday”; Publication/Date=1870; Volume=II; Page=248; Editor=Henry Bence Jones.
- Notes: This has sometimes been quoted partially as “Nothing is too wonderful to be true”, and can be seen engraved above the doorway of the south entrance to the Humanities Building at UCLA in Los Angeles, California.
Laws of Nature
“The laws of nature, as we understand them, are the foundation of our knowledge in natural things. So much as we know of them has been developed by the successive energies of the highest intellects, exerted through many ages. After a most rigid and scrutinizing examination upon principle and trial, a definite expression has been given to them; they have become, as it were, our belief or trust. From day to day we still examine and test our expressions of them. We have no interest in their retention if erroneous. On the contrary, the greatest discovery a man could make would be to prove that one of these accepted laws was erroneous, and his greatest honour would be the discovery.”
- Source: Book/Author=Michael Faraday; Title=“Experimental Researches in Chemistry and Physics”; Publication/Date=1859; Page=469.
- Keywords: Law_quotes Nature_quotes Understanding_quotes Foundation_quotes Knowledge_quotes Energy_quotes Intellectualism_quotes Examination_quotes Principle_quotes Trial_quotes Expression_quotes Belief_quotes Trust_quotes Testing_quotes Interest_quotes Retention_quotes Error_quotes Discovery_quotes Proof_quotes Falsification_quotes Honor_quotes Rigid_quotes Examine_quotes Man_quotes
Samuel_C_Florman
Regulations
“Civilized men had long recognized that laws and regulations, mutually agreed upon, are the only sound protection for society against the self-interest of each of us.”
- Source: From the book “The Existential Pleasures of Engineering” by {Samuel C. Florman}. Second edition published in 1994 by {St. Martin's Press}, New York, NY. First edition published in 1976. Kindle edition published in 2023. E-book ISBN 978-1466842366. Chapter 3, page 19.
Allen_Ginsberg
Ginsberg's Theorem
“0. You have to play the game. (consequence of zeroth law of thermodynamics, thermal equilibrium)
1. You can't win. (consequence of first law of thermodynamics, conservation of energy)
2. You can't break even. (consequence of second law of thermodynamics, entropy increases)
3. You can't even get out of the game. (consequence of third law of thermodynamics, absolute zero)” Freeman's Commentary: “1. Capitalism is based on the assumption that you can win.
2. Socialism is based on the assumption that you can break even.
3. Mysticism is based on the assumption that you can quit the game.”- Notes: Laws of Thermodynamics:
- The zeroth law of thermodynamics defines thermal equilibrium and forms a basis for the definition of temperature: If two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other.
- The first law of thermodynamics states that, when energy passes into or out of a system (as work, heat, or matter), the system's internal energy changes in accordance with the law of conservation of energy.
- The second law of thermodynamics states that in a natural thermodynamic process, the sum of the entropies of the interacting thermodynamic systems never decreases. A common corollary of the statement is that heat does not spontaneously pass from a colder body to a warmer body.
- The third law of thermodynamics states that a system's entropy approaches a constant value as the temperature approaches absolute zero. With the exception of non-crystalline solids (glasses), the entropy of a system at absolute zero is typically close to zero.
- Source: Allen Ginsberg quoted and attributed by Conrad Schneiker in an article entitled “An Abridged Collection of Interdisciplinary Laws” in the journal “Coevolution Quarterly”, 1975, Winter edition (December), page 138. Theorem laws one, two, and three.
- Theorem laws one and two were included in the magazine “Astounding Science Fiction” in November 1953.
- Theorem laws one, two, and three were included in the magazine “Astounding Science Fiction” in December 1956.
- Laws one, two and three and Freeman's Commentary (Freeman unidentified) were reported in the book "Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong" written by Arthur Bloch, first edition published in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288. Chapter Murphology, page 18.
- The originator of law zero is not known but is common is modern versions.
- See Also:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics
- https://www.barrypopik.com/new_york_city/entry/you_cant_win_you_cant_break_even/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginsberg%27s_theorem
- https://www.eoht.info/page/Laws%20of%20thermodynamics%20(game%20version)
- Allen_Ginsberg_quotes
- Allen_Ginsberg_quotes/Ginsbergs_Theorem
Richard_Hamming
Scientific Laws
“Science is composed of laws which were originally based on a small, carefully selected set of observations, often not very accurately measured originally; but the laws have later been found to apply over much wider ranges of observations and much more accurately than the original data justified.”
- Source: Richard Hamming, 'The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics', The American Mathematical Monthly (Feb 1980), 87 No.2.
Stephen_Hawking
Fine Tuning
“The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron.... The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.”
- Source: Stephen Hawking in his book “A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes”. Published by Bantam in 1990. ISBN: 9780553346145.
- Keywords: Law_quotes Science_quotes Know_quotes Present_quotes Contain_quotes Fundamental_quotes Number_quotes Size_quotes Electric_quotes Charge_quotes Electron_quotes Ratio_quotes Mass_quotes Proton_quotes Remarkable_quotes Fact_quotes Value_quotes Fine_quotes Adjust_quotes Tune_quotes Possible_quotes Make_quotes Development_quotes Life_quotes Universe_quotes
Grace_Hopper
Forgiveness and Permissions
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.”
- Source: Grace Hopper as quoted in the U.S. Navy's Chips Ahoy magazine, July 1986.
- Keywords: Forgiveness_quotes Permission_quotes Bureaucracy_quotes Law_quotes Easy_quotes
Manage Things Lead People
“You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. It might help if we ran the MBAs out of Washington.”
- Source: Grace Hopper as quoted in "The Wit and Wisdom of Grace Hopper" by Philip Schieber in OCLC Newsletter, No. 167 (March/April 1987).
M_King_Hubbert
Principle of Uniformity
“[The] first postulate of the Principle of Uniformity, namely, that the laws of nature are invariant with time, is not peculiar to that principle or to geology, but is a common denominator of all science. In fact, instead of being an assumption or an ad hoc hypothesis, it is simply a succinct summation of the totality of all experimental and observational evidence.”
- Source: Marion King Hubbert, 'Critique of the Principle of Uniformity', in C. C. Albritton (ed.), Uniformity and Simplicity (1967), 29.
Edwin_Hubble
Scientific Judgments
“Science deals with judgments on which it is possible to obtain universal agreement. These judgments do not concern individual facts and events, but the invariable association of facts and events known as the laws of science. Agreement is secured by observation and experiment — impartial courts of appeal to which all men must submit if they wish to survive. The laws are grouped and explained by theories of ever increasing generality. The theories at first are ex post facto — merely plausible interpretations of existing bodies of data. However, they frequently lead to predictions that can be tested by experiments and observations in new fields, and, if the interpretations are verified, the theories are accepted as working hypotheses until they prove untenable. The essential requirements are agreement on the subject matter and the verification of predictions. These features insure a body of positive knowledge that can be transmitted from person to person, and that accumulates from generation to generation.”
- Source: Edwin Powell Hubble. From manuscript on English Science in the Renaissance (1937), Edwin Hubble collection, Box 2, Huntington Library, San Marino, California. As cited by Norriss S. Hetherington in 'Philosophical Values and Observation in Edwin Hubble's Choice of a Model of the Universe', Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences (1982), 13, No. 1, 41. (Hetherington comments parenthetically that the references to court, judgment and appeal may be attributable to his prior experiences as a Rhodes Scholar reading Roman law at Oxford, and to a year's practice as an attorney in Louisville, Kentucky.)
- Keywords: Science_quotes Judgment_quotes Universal_quotes Agreement_quotes Survival_quotes Fact_quotes Association_quotes Event_quotes Law_quotes Observation_quotes Experiment_quotes Court_quotes Explanation_quotes Theory_quotes Generality_quotes Ex_Post_quotes Plausibility_quotes Interpretation_quotes Data_quotes Prediction_quotes Verification_quotes Hypothesis_quotes Falsification_quotes Proof_quotes Requirements_quotes Feature_quotes Positive_quotes Knowledge_quotes Transmission_quotes Accumulation_quotes Generation_quotes
Charles_Issawi
Issawi's Laws of Progress
“The course of Progress: Most things get steadily worse.
The Path of Progress: A shortcut is the longest distance between two points.
The Dialectics: Direct action produces direct reaction.
The Pace of Progress: Society is a mule, not a car… If pressed too hard, it will kick and throw off its rider.”- Source: Issawi’s Laws of Social Motion, enlarged ed., by Charles Issawi, illustrated by David Pascal. Published by Hawthorne Books in 1973.
Carl_Jung
Laws and Teachings
“Laws and teachings held in common compel people to solitude, so that they may escape the pressure of undesirable contact, but solitude makes people hostile and venomous. Therefore give people dignity and let each of them stand apart, so that each may find his own fellowship and love it. Power stands against power, contempt against contempt, love against love. Give humanity dignity, and trust that life will find the better way.”
- Source: Written by Carl G. Jung in ‘The Red Book’, also known as ‘Liber Novus’, which was originally written from 1914 to 1930. It was first published in 2009 by W. W. Norton in a facsimile edition, complete with an English translation. The edition used here is the book ‘The Red Book: Liber Novus: A Reader's Edition’, written by C. G. Jung, edited with an introduction by Sonu Shamdasani, translated by Mark Kyburz, John Peck, and Sonu Shamdasani; published by W. W. Norton in 2012; ISBN 978-0393089080; Page 126.
- Keywords: Law_quotes Teaching_quotes Hold_quotes Common_quotes Compel_quotes People_quotes Solitude_quotes Escape_quotes Pressure_quotes Undesirable_quotes Contact_quotes Hostile_quotes Venomous_quotes Dignity_quotes Stand_quotes Apart_quotes Each_quotes Find_quotes Fellowship_quotes Love_quotes Power_quotes Contempt_quotes Humanity_quotes Trust_quotes Life_quotes Better_quotes Way_quotes
Bernardo_Kastrup
Metaphysically Real
“Synchronicity — insofar as it defines the structures or tendencies underlying all quantum events — is the only metaphysically real ordering principle in nature. The laws of nature we are familiar with in our daily lives become mere epiphenomena of archetypal synchronicities.”
- Source: From “Decoding Jung's Metaphysics: The Archetypal Semantics of an Experiential Universe”. Written by Bernardo Kastrup. Published by IFF Books, Washington DC. Kindle Edition. Page 69. Chapter 4.
John_F_Kennedy
Resources
“Malthus argued a century and a half ago that man, by using up all his available resources, would forever press on the limits of subsistence, thus condemning humanity to an indefinite future of misery and poverty. We can now begin to hope and, I believe, know that Malthus was expressing not a law of nature, but merely the limitation then of scientific and social wisdom. The truth or falsity of his prediction will depend now, with the tools we have, on our own actions, now and in the years to come.”
- Source: John F. Kennedy, From Address to the Centennial Convocation of the National Academy of Sciences (22 Oct 1963), 'A Century of Scientific Conquest'. Online at The American Presidency Project.
- Keywords: Century_quotes Humanity_quotes Resource_quotes Limitation_quotes Subsistence_quotes Condemnation_quotes Indefinite_quotes Future_quotes Misery_quotes Poverty_quotes Hope_quotes Belief_quotes Law_quotes Nature_quotes Science_quotes Wisdom_quotes Society_quotes Truth_quotes Falsehood_quotes Prediction_quotes Dependency_quotes Tool_quotes Action_quotes Scarcity_quotes Abundance_quotes Malthus(topic)_quotes Argue_quotes Man_quotes Express_quotes Year_quotes Malthusian_quotes
Brian_Kernighan
Debugging Harder
“Everyone knows that debugging is twice as hard as writing a program in the first place. So if you're as clever as you can be when you write it, how will you ever debug it?”
- Source: Book entitled: The Elements of Programming Style; Edition: 2nd. Chapter: 2. Written by Brian Kernighan and Phillip James (Bill) Plauger. Also known as Kernighan's law.
- See Also:
- Keywords: Law_quotes Debugging_quotes Hard_quotes Programming_quotes Clever_quotes Write_quotes
David_Kipping
Nature Computation
“It is important to distinguish between testing whether the universe is built upon the principles of computation but is not a simulation versus testing where the universe is indeed a simulation on someone's computer. Those are different to each other. It is quite possible that the laws of computation are somehow embedded within nature and yet everything we see around us is not a simulation.”
- Source: David Kipping from the YouTube “Why You're Probably Not a Simulation”, posted 2020-09-04 in the channel ‘Cool Worlds’. Video offset 11:15. Online at https://youtu.be/HA5YuwvJkpQ (2025).
- Keywords: Important_quotes Distinguish_quotes Between_quotes Testing_quotes Universe_quotes Build_quotes Principle_quotes Computation_quotes Simulation_quotes Computer_quotes Different_quotes Each_quotes Other_quotes Possible_quotes Law_quotes Embed_quotes Nature_quotes Everything_quotes See_quotes Around_quotes
Pierre-Simon_Laplace
System of Nature
“The present state of the system of nature is evidently a consequence of what it was in the preceding moment, and if we conceive of an intelligence that at a given instant comprehends all the relations of the entities of this universe, it could state the respective position, motions, and general affects of all these entities at any time in the past or future. Physical astronomy, the branch of knowledge that does the greatest honor to the human mind, gives us an idea, albeit imperfect, of what such an intelligence would be. The simplicity of the law by which the celestial bodies move, and the relations of their masses and distances, permit analysis to follow their motions up to a certain point; and in order to determine the state of the system of these great bodies in past or future centuries, it suffices for the mathematician that their position and their velocity be given by observation for any moment in time. Man owes that advantage to the power of the instrument he employs, and to the small number of relations that it embraces in its calculations. But ignorance of the different causes involved in the production of events, as well as their complexity, taken together with the imperfection of analysis, prevents our reaching the same certainty about the vast majority of phenomena. Thus there are things that are uncertain for us, things more or less probable, and we seek to compensate for the impossibility of knowing them by determining their different degrees of likelihood. So it was that we owe to the weakness of the human mind one of the most delicate and ingenious of mathematical theories, the science of chance or probability.”
- Source: Pierre-Simon Laplace, 'Recherches, 1º, sur l'Intégration des Équations Différentielles aux Différences Finies, et sur leur Usage dans la Théorie des Hasards' (1773, published 1776). In Oeuvres complètes de Laplace, 14 Vols. (1843-1912), Vol. 8, 144-5, trans. Charles Coulston Gillispie, Pierre-Simon Laplace 1749-1827: A Life in Exact Science (1997), 26.
- Keywords: State_quotes Present_quotes System_quotes Nature_quotes Consequence_quotes Moment_quotes Precede_quotes Conceive_quotes Intelligence_quotes Instant_quotes Comprehension_quotes Relationship_quotes Universe_quotes Position_quotes Motion_quotes Causality_quotes Time_quotes Past_quotes Future_quotes Astronomy_quotes Knowledge_quotes Humanity_quotes Mind_quotes Idea_quotes Imperfect_quotes Law_quotes Celestial_quotes Body_quotes Mass_quotes Distance_quotes Analysis_quotes Determine_quotes Century_quotes Mathematics_quotes Velocity_quotes Observation_quotes Advantage_quotes Power_quotes Instrument_quotes Calculation_quotes Ignorance_quotes Cause_quotes Production_quotes Event_quotes Complexity_quotes Certainty_quotes Majority_quotes Phenomena_quotes Probability_quotes Impossibility_quotes Likelihood_quotes Weakness_quotes Theory_quotes Chance_quotes
Abraham_Maslow
Hammer Tool
“I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”
- Source: Maslow, Abraham H., The Psychology of Science, 1966.
- Note: A concept commonly known as the ‘Law of the Instrument’ or ‘Maslow's Hammer’.
- Keywords: Suppose_quotes Temptation_quotes Hammer_quotes Treatment_quotes Nail_quotes Tool_quotes Law_quotes
Edward_A_Murphy
Murphy's Law
Popular Version: “If anything can go wrong, it will.” Original Version First Report: “If there are two or more ways to do something and one of those results in a catastrophe, then someone will do it that way” Original Version Second Report: "If there is any way to do it wrong, he will."
- Source:
- Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong” written by Arthur Bloch, first edition publish in 1977 by Price/Stern/Sloan, Los Angeles, California. ISBN-10: 0843104287. ISBN-13: 978-0843104288.
- Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the article “The Science of Murphy’s Law” written by Robert A. J. Matthews, published in 'Scientific America, volume 276 number 4, April 1997, DOI: 10.1038/scientificamerican0497-88.
- Attributed to Edward A Murphy, reported in the book “The Making of a Scientist” by Anne Roe, published in 1953 by Dodd and Mead, New York, NY. ISBN 10: 0837171512. ISBN 13: 9780837171517.
- Notes: An idea expressed by Edward Aloysius Murphy Jr. in 1949 in reference to rocket sled engineering work.
- See Also:
Joel_Pel
Murphy's Law Equation
“A new mathematical foundation to one of today’s most recognized physical laws, Murphy’s Law. Experimental data matches very nicely with the theory presented in this equation.”
- Notes:
- PM is the Murphy’s probability that something will go wrong.
- KM is Murphy’s constant (equal to one).
- FM is Murphy’s factor, a very small number that can only be calculated on a 386-computer running Windows 3.1. Here we will approximate it by FM ≈ 0.01.
- I is the importance of the result or outcome of the event on a scale of 1 to 10.
- C is the complexity of the system on a scale of 1 to 10.
- U is the urgency on a scale of 1 to 10.
- F is the frequency on a scale of 1 to 10.
- e is Euler's number, a mathematical constant approximately equal to 2.71828.
- Source: Written by Joel Pel in the article “The Murphy's Law Equation” published 2007-05-21 in The Science Creative Quarterly.
- See Also:
Roger_Penrose
Mind
“My point of view entails that it is our present lack of understanding of the fundamental laws of physics that prevents us from coming to grips with the concept of ‘mind’ in physical or logical terms.”
- Source: Written by Roger Penrose in the book “The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of Physics” published in 1989 by Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. Kindle Edition; Page 4. ISBN: 978-0-19-286198-6.
Alan_Perlis
Programming the Excluded Muddle
“Structured Programming supports the law of the excluded muddle.”
- Source: Perlis, A. J. (1982). Special Feature: Epigrams on programming. ACM SIGPLAN Notices, 17(9), 7–13. http://doi.org/10.1145/947955.1083808
- Keywords: Structure_quotes Programming_quotes Support_quotes Law_quotes Exclude_quotes Middle_quotes
Steven_Pinker
Science
“In a large society with writing and institutionalized science, the cost of an exponential number of tests is repaid by the benefit of the resulting laws to a large number of people. That is why taxpayers are willing to fund scientific research. But for the provincial interests of a single individual or even a small band, good science isn’t worth the trouble.”
- Source: Steven Pinker (1997). How the Mind Works. New York, NY: W. W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-06973-0; eISBN 978-0-393-06973-0. Chapter 5 Section: Ecological Intelligence.
- Keywords: Large_quotes Society_quotes Writing_quotes Institution_quotes Science_quotes Cost_quotes Exponential_quotes Number_quotes Testing_quotes Repay_quotes Benefit_quotes Result_quotes Law_quotes People_quotes Taxpayer_quotes Willing_quotes Fund_quotes Research_quotes Provincial_quotes Interest_quotes Single_quotes Individual_quotes Small_quotes Band_quotes Worth_quotes Trouble_quotes
Karl_Popper
Rule of Rules
“It is the rule which says that the other rules of scientific procedure must be designed in such a way that they do not protect any statement in science against falsification.”
- Source: Karl Raimund Popper (1959), The Logic of Scientific Discovery: Logik Der Forschung (2002), 33.
- Keywords: Rule_quotes Law_quotes Science_quotes Procedure_quotes Design_quotes Protection_quotes Statement_quotes Falsification_quotes
Science Not Certain
“Science is not a system of certain, or established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And our guesses are guided by the unscientific, the metaphysical (though biologically explicable) faith in laws, in regularities which we can uncover — discover. Like Bacon, we might describe our own contemporary science — 'the method of reasoning which men now ordinarily apply to nature' — as consisting of 'anticipations, rash and premature' and as 'prejudices'.”
- Source: Karl Raimund Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery (1959), 278.
- Keywords: Science_quotes System_quotes Certainty_quotes Establish_quotes Statement_quotes Steady_quotes Advance_quotes State_quotes Final_quotes Guess_quotes Guide_quotes Unscientific_quotes Metaphysics_quotes Biology_quotes Explanation_quotes Faith_quotes Law_quotes Regular_quotes Uncover_quotes Discovery_quotes Description_quotes Contemporary_quotes Methodology_quotes Reason_quotes Humanity_quotes Ordinary_quotes Apply_quotes Nature_quotes Consist_quotes Anticipation_quotes Rash_quotes Premature_quotes Prejudice_quotes Bacon(topic)_quotes
Scientific Knowledge
“If the picture of the world which modern science draws comes anywhere near the truth — in other words, if we have anything like ‘scientific knowledge’ — then the conditions obtaining almost everywhere in the universe make the discovery of structural laws of the kind we are seeking — and thus the attainment of ‘scientific knowledge’ — almost impossible. For almost all regions of the universe are filled by chaotic radiation, and almost all the rest by matter in a likewise chaotic state. In spite of this, science has been miraculously successful in proceeding toward what I think should be regarded as its aim. This strange fact cannot, I think, be explained without proving too much. But it can encourage us to pursue that aim, even though we may not get any further encouragement to believe that we can actually attain it; neither from metaphysical realism nor from any other source.”
- Source: Realism and the Aim of Science: From the Postscript to The Logic of Scientific Discovery, 1983, p. 146, ISBN 0415084008
- Keywords: Picture_quotes World_quotes Modern_quotes Science_quotes Truth_quotes Knowledge_quotes Condition_quotes Obtain_quotes Universe_quotes Discovery_quotes Structure_quotes Kind_quotes Seek_quotes Attain_quotes Impossibility_quotes Region_quotes Chaos_quotes Radiation_quotes Matter_quotes Miracle_quotes Success_quotes Progress_quotes Aim_quotes Strange_quotes Fact_quotes Explanation_quotes Proof_quotes Encouragement_quotes Pursuit_quotes Belief_quotes Metaphysics_quotes Realism_quotes Source_quotes Law_quotes
Epistemology
“In accordance with my proposal made above, epistemology, or the logic of scientific discovery, should be identified with the theory of scientific method. The theory of method, in so far as it goes beyond the purely logical analysis of the relations between scientific statements, is concerned with the choice of methods — with decisions about the way in which scientific statements are to be dealt with. These decisions will of course depend in their turn upon the aim which we choose from among a number of possible aims. The decision here proposed for laying down suitable rules for what I call the ‘empirical method’ is closely connected with my criterion of demarcation: I propose to adopt such rules as will ensure the testability of scientific statements; which is to say, their falsifiability.”
- Source: Chapter 2. Popper, K. R. (2005). The Logic of Scientific Discovery | 1935 (1935/Epub ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
- Keywords: According_quotes Proposal_quotes Epistemology_quotes Logic_quotes Science_quotes Discovery_quotes Identity_quotes Theory_quotes Scientific_Method_quotes Methodology_quotes Beyond_quotes Analysis_quotes Relationship_quotes Statement_quotes Concern_quotes Choice_quotes Decision_quotes Way_quotes Deal_quotes Dependence_quotes Aim_quotes Number_quotes Possibility_quotes Rule_quotes Law_quotes Empirical_quotes Connection_quotes Criteria_quotes Demarcation_quotes Adopt_quotes Ensure_quotes Testing_quotes Testability_quotes Falsification_quotes Pure_quotes
Hans_Reichenbach
Picture of Scientific Method
“The picture of scientific method drafted by modern philosophy is very different from traditional conceptions. Gone is the ideal of a universe whose course follows strict rules, a predetermined cosmos that unwinds itself like an unwinding clock. Gone is the ideal of the scientist who knows the absolute truth. The happenings of nature are like rolling dice rather than like revolving stars; they are controlled by probability laws, not by causality, and the scientist resembles a gambler more than a prophet. He can tell you only his best posits — he never knows beforehand whether they will come true. He is a better gambler, though, than the man at the green table, because his statistical methods are superior. And his goal is staked higher — the goal of foretelling the rolling dice of the cosmos. If he is asked why he follows his methods, with what title he makes his predictions, he cannot answer that he has an irrefutable knowledge of the future; he can only lay his best bets. But he can prove that they are best bets, that making them is the best he can do — and if a man does his best, what else can you ask of him?”
- Source: Hans Reichenbach, The Rise of Scientific Philosophy (1951, 1973), 248-9. Collected in James Louis Jarrett and Sterling M. McMurrin (eds.), Contemporary Philosophy: A Book of Readings (1954), 376.
- Keywords: Picture_quotes Scientific_Method_quotes Modern_quotes Philosophy_quotes Differences_quotes Tradition_quotes Ideal_quotes Universe_quotes Causality_quotes Course_quotes Strict_quotes Rule_quotes Predetermine_quotes Cosmos_quotes Unwind_quotes Clock_quotes Science_quotes Absolute_quotes Certainty_quotes Truth_quotes Nature_quotes Roll_quotes Dice_quotes Probability_quotes Revolve_quotes Star_quotes Control_quotes Law_quotes Gambler_quotes Prophet_quotes Prediction_quotes Posit_quotes Knowledge_quotes Beforehand_quotes True_quotes Statistics_quotes Superior_quotes Goal_quotes Stake_quotes High_quotes Foretell_quotes Methodology_quotes Title_quotes Answer_quotes Irrefutability_quotes Future_quotes Bet_quotes Proof_quotes Best_quotes Ask_quotes Conception_quotes Scientist_quotes Man_quotes
Bertrand_Russell
Science Ideal
“Science, in its ultimate ideal, consists of a set of propositions arranged in a hierarchy, the lowest level of the hierarchy being concerned with particular facts, and the highest with some general law, governing everything in the universe. The various levels in the hierarchy have a two-fold logical connection, traveling one up, one down; the upward connection proceeds by induction, the downward by deduction.”
- Source: Bertrand Russell, In The Scientific Outlook (1931, 2009), 38.
Scientific Method Complicated and Simple
“Scientific method, although in its more refined forms it may seem complicated, is in essence remarkably simply. It consists in observing such facts as will enable the observer to discover general laws governing facts of the kind in question. The two stages, first of observation, and second of inference to a law, are both essential, and each is susceptible of almost indefinite refinement.”
- Source: Bertrand Russell (1931), In The Scientific Outlook (1931, 2009), 3.
- Keywords: Scientific_Method_quotes Refine_quotes Form_quotes Complexity_quotes Simplicity_quotes Essential_quotes Remarkable_quotes Consist_quotes Observation_quotes Fact_quotes Enable_quotes Discovery_quotes Generality_quotes Law_quotes Govern_quotes Kind_quotes Question_quotes Stage_quotes Inference_quotes Susceptible_quotes Indefinite_quotes Science_quotes Method_quotes
Fire Burns
“The first man who said 'fire burns' was employing scientific method, at any rate if he had allowed himself to be burnt several times. This man had already passed through the two stages of observation and generalization. He had not, however, what scientific technique demands — a careful choice of significant facts on the one hand, and, on the other hand, various means of arriving at laws otherwise than by mere generalization.”
- Source: Bertrand Russell, (1931), In The Scientific Outlook (1931, 2009), 3.
- Keywords: First_quotes Humanity_quotes Fire_quotes Burn_quotes Employment_quotes Scientific_Method_quotes Allow_quotes Repeatability_quotes Stage_quotes Observation_quotes Generality_quotes Demand_quotes Careful_quotes Choice_quotes Significance_quotes Fact_quotes Hand_quotes Arrive_quotes Law_quotes Man_quotes Science_quotes Method_quotes
Significance of Fact
“The significance of a fact is relative to [the general body of scientific] knowledge. To say that a fact is significant in science, is to say that it helps to establish or refute some general law; for science, though it starts from observation of the particular, is not concerned essentially with the particular, but with the general. A fact, in science, is not a mere fact, but an instance. In this the scientist differs from the artist, who, if he deigns to notice facts at all, is likely to notice them in all their particularity.”
- Source: Bertrand Russell, In The Scientific Outlook (1931, 2009), 38.
- Keywords: Significance_quotes Fact_quotes Relative_quotes Generality_quotes Body_quotes Science_quotes Knowledge_quotes Establish_quotes Refutation_quotes Law_quotes Start_quotes Observation_quotes Particular_quotes Concern_quotes Essential_quotes Instance_quotes Differences_quotes Art_quotes Design_quotes General_quotes Notice_quotes
George_Sarton
Scientific Progress
“No history of civilization can be tolerably complete which does not give considerable space to the explanation of scientific progress. If we had any doubts about this, it would suffice to ask ourselves what constitutes the essential difference between our and earlier civilizations. Throughout the course of history, in every period, and in almost every country, we find a small number of saints, of great artists, of men of science. The saints of today are not necessarily more saintly than those of a thousand years ago; our artists are not necessarily greater than those of early Greece; they are more likely to be inferior; and of course, our men of science are not necessarily more intelligent than those of old; yet one thing is certain, their knowledge is at once more extensive and more accurate. The acquisition and systematization of positive knowledge is the only human activity which is truly cumulative and progressive. Our civilization is essentially different from earlier ones, because our knowledge of the world and of ourselves is deeper, more precise, and more certain, because we have gradually learned to disentangle the forces of nature, and because we have contrived, by strict obedience to their laws, to capture them and to divert them to the gratification of our own needs.”
- Source: George (Alfred Léon) Sarton, Introduction to the History of Science (1927), Vol. 1, 3-4.
- Keywords: History_quotes Civilization_quotes Tolerance_quotes Completion_quotes Explanation_quotes Science_quotes Progress_quotes Doubt_quotes Sufficient_quotes Constitute_quotes Essential_quotes Differences_quotes Early_quotes Course_quotes Period_quotes Country_quotes Small_quotes Saint_quotes Great_quotes Art_quotes Intelligence_quotes Old_quotes Year_quotes Greece_quotes Inferior_quotes Knowledge_quotes Extension_quotes Accuracy_quotes Acquire_quotes System_quotes Positive_quotes Humanity_quotes Activity_quotes True_quotes Cumulative_quotes World_quotes Depth_quotes Precision_quotes Certainty_quotes Gradual_quotes Learning_quotes Disentangle_quotes Force_quotes Nature_quotes Contrive_quotes Strict_quotes Obedience_quotes Law_quotes Capture_quotes Divergence_quotes Gratify_quotes Need_quotes Progressive_quotes
Melvin_Schwartz
Mathematics More than a Language
“Mathematics is much more than a language for dealing with the physical world. It is a source of models and abstractions which will enable us to obtain amazing new insights into the way in which nature operates. Indeed, the beauty and elegance of the physical laws themselves are only apparent when expressed in the appropriate mathematical framework.”
- Source: Melvin Schwartz, In Principles of Electrodynamics (1972, 1987), 105.
- Keywords: Mathematics_quotes Language_quotes Deal_quotes Physical_quotes World_quotes Source_quotes Model_quotes Abstraction_quotes Enable_quotes Obtain_quotes Amazement_quotes Insight_quotes Way_quotes Nature_quotes Operation_quotes Beauty_quotes Elegant_quotes Law_quotes Apparent_quotes Expression_quotes Appropriate_quotes Framework_quotes
Rebecca_Shafir
Misunderstanding
“Here’s an alarming fact: of approximately eight hundred thousand words in the English language, we use about eight hundred on a regular basis. Those eight hundred words have fourteen thousand meanings. By division there are about seventeen meanings per word. In other words, we have a one-in-seventeen chance of being understood as we intended. Perhaps you’ve heard of Chisholm’s Third Law — If you explain something so clearly that no one can misunderstand, someone will.”
- Source: From the book “The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communication in the Age of Distraction”, written by Rebecca Z. Shafir, published by Quest Books in 2003. ISBN: 978-0835608268,
- See Also:
Adam_Smith
Regulations
“Regulations may, no doubt, be considered as in some respects a violation of natural liberty. But those exertions of the natural liberty of a few individuals, which might endanger the security of the whole society, are, and ought to be, restrained by the laws of all governments, of the most free as well as of the most despotical.”
- Source: Adam Smith (1776) An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. London, England: W. Strahan and T. Cadell. Book II chapter II.
Adam_Smith
Three Great Orders
“The whole annual produce of the land and labour of every country... naturally divides itself, it has already been observed, into three parts; the rent of land, the wages of labour, and the profits of stock; and constitutes a revenue to three different orders of people; to those who live by rent, to those who live by wages, and to those who live by profit. These are the three great, original, and constituent orders of every civilised society... The interest of the first of those three great orders, it appears from what has been just now said, is strictly and inseparably connected with the general interest of the society. Whatever either promotes or obstructs the one, necessarily promotes or obstructs the other... The interest of the second order, that of those who live by wages, is as strictly connected with the interest of the society as that of the first... Employers constitute the third order, that of those who live by profit. It is the stock that is employed for the sake of profit which puts into motion the greater part of the useful labour of every society... But the rate of profit does not, like rent and wages, rise with the prosperity and fall with the declension of the society. On the contrary... The interest of this third order, therefore, has not the same connection with the general interest of the society as that of the other two... The interest of the dealers... is always in some respects different from, and even opposite to, that of the public. To widen the market and to narrow the competition... The proposal of any new law or regulation of commerce which comes from this order ought always to be listened to with great precaution, and ought never to be adopted till after having been long and carefully examined, not only with the most scrupulous, but with the most suspicious attention. It comes from an order of men whose interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have, upon many occasions, both deceived and oppressed it.”
- Source: Adam Smith (1776) An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. London, England: W. Strahan and T. Cadell. Book I chapter XI.
- Keywords: Whole_quotes Annual_quotes Produce_quotes Land_quotes Labor_quotes Country_quotes Natural_quotes Division_quotes Observation_quotes Part_quotes Rent_quotes Wage_quotes Labor_quotes Profit_quotes Stock_quotes Constitute_quotes Revenue_quotes Differences_quotes Order_quotes Original_quotes Civilization_quotes Society_quotes Interest_quotes Appearance_quotes Say_quotes Strict_quotes Inseperable_quotes Connection_quotes Generality_quotes Promotion_quotes Obstruction_quotes Employer_quotes Employment_quotes Motion_quotes Prosperity_quotes Fall_quotes Declension_quotes Contrary_quotes Dealer_quotes Opposite_quotes Public_quotes Market_quotes Competition_quotes Proposal_quotes Law_quotes Regulation_quotes Commerce_quotes Listening_quotes Precaution_quotes Careful_quotes Examination_quotes Scrupulous_quotes Suspicion_quotes Adoption_quotes Attention_quotes Man_quotes Deception_quotes Oppression_quotes Occasional_quotes
Alfred_Tarski
Definition of Truth
“Not only does the definition of truth seem to be impossible, but even the consistent use of this concept in conformity with the laws of logic.”
- Source: Alfred Tarski in his article ‘The Concept of Truth in Formalized Languages’, written originally in Polish in 1933, translated to English in 1983 by J. H. Woodger and published within the book ‘Logic, Semantics, Metamathematics’ edited by J. Corcoran. Online at http://www.thatmarcusfamily.org/philosophy/Course_Websites/Readings/Tarski%20-%20The%20Concept%20of%20Truth%20in%20Formalized%20Languages.pdf.
Language Universality
“This universality of everyday language... is the primary source of all semantic antinomies, like the antinomy of the liar... Every language which is universal... and for which the normal laws of logic hold, must be inconsistent.”
- Source: Alfred Tarski in his article ‘The Concept of Truth in Formalized Languages’, written originally in Polish in 1933, translated to English in 1983 by J. H. Woodger and published within the book ‘Logic, Semantics, Metamathematics’ edited by J. Corcoran, page 164. Online at http://www.thatmarcusfamily.org/philosophy/Course_Websites/Readings/Tarski%20-%20The%20Concept%20of%20Truth%20in%20Formalized%20Languages.pdf.
Truth Doubtful
“The very possibility of a consistent use of the expression ‘true sentence’ which is in harmony with the laws of logic and the spirit of everyday language seems to be very questionable, and consequently the same doubt attaches to the possibility of constructing a correct definition of this expression.”
- Source: Alfred Tarski in his article ‘The Concept of Truth in Formalized Languages’, written originally in Polish in 1933, translated to English in 1983 by J. H. Woodger and published within the book ‘Logic, Semantics, Metamathematics’ edited by J. Corcoran, page 165. Online at http://www.thatmarcusfamily.org/philosophy/Course_Websites/Readings/Tarski%20-%20The%20Concept%20of%20Truth%20in%20Formalized%20Languages.pdf.
- Keywords: Possibility_quotes Consistent_quotes Use_quotes Expression_quotes True_quotes Truth_quotes Harmony_quotes Law_quotes Logic_quotes Spirit_quotes Everyday_quotes Language_quotes Seem_quotes Questionable_quotes Doubt_quotes Attach_quotes Same_quotes Construct_quotes Correct_quotes Definition_quotes
Alfred_Russel_Wallace
Truth Proof
“There is no more convincing proof of the truth of a comprehensive theory than its power of absorbing and finding a place for new facts, and its capability of interpreting phenomena which had been previously looked upon as unaccountable anomalies. It is thus that the law of universal gravitation and the undulatory theory of light have become established and universally accepted by men of science. Fact after fact has been brought forward as being apparently inconsistent with them, and one after another these very facts have been shown to be the consequences of the laws they were at first supposed to disprove. A false theory will never stand this test. Advancing knowledge brings to light whole groups of facts which it cannot deal with, and its advocates steadily decrease in numbers, notwithstanding the ability and scientific skill with which it may have been supported.”
- Source: Alfred Russel Wallace, From a review of four books on the subject 'Mimicry, and Other Protective Resemblances Among Animals', in The Westminster Review (Jul 1867), 88, 1. Wallace is identified as the author within the article as reprinted in William Beebe, The Book of Naturalists: An Anthology of the Best Natural History (1988), 108.
- Keywords: Convince_quotes Proof_quotes Truth_quotes Comprehension_quotes Theory_quotes Power_quotes Absorb_quotes Find_quotes Place_quotes Fact_quotes Capability_quotes Interpretation_quotes Phenomena_quotes Unaccount_quotes Anomalies_quotes Law_quotes Universal_quotes Gravity_quotes Undulate_quotes Light_quotes Establish_quotes Acceptance_quotes Man_quotes Science_quotes Inconsistent_quotes Consequence_quotes Disproof_quotes False_quotes Stand_quotes Testing_quotes Advance_quotes Knowledge_quotes Group_quotes Deal_quotes Advocate_quotes Decrease_quotes Number_quotes Ability_quotes Skill_quotes Support_quotes Apparent_quotes Suppose_quotes
Gerald_Weinberg
Fisher's Fundamental Theorem
“Fisher's Fundamental Theorem states — in terms appropriate to the present context — that the better adapted a system is to a particular environment, the less adaptable it is to new environments. By stretching our imagination a bit, we can see how this might apply to computer programs as well.”
- Source: Chapter 2. Weinberg, G. M. (2011). The Psychology of Computer Programming (Silver anniversary edition) | 1971. Weinberg & Weinberg.
Eugene_Wigner
Miracle of Mathematics
“The miracle of the appropriateness of the language of mathematics for the formulation of the laws of physics is a wonderful gift which we neither understand nor deserve.”
- Source: Eugene Paul Wigner, In 'The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences,' Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics (Feb 1960), 13, No. 1 (February 1960). Collected in Eugene Paul Wigner, A.S. Wightman (ed.), Jagdish Mehra (ed.), The Collected Works of Eugene Paul Wigner (1955), Vol. 6, 535.
Stephen_Wolfram
Second Law of Thermodynamics
“The second law is essentially a computational statement of the fact that systems that start simple to describe will typically become complicated to describe. It's kind of like encryption. You're saying you start with that simple initial seed and then you run this thing and you get something which for all practical purposes looks random. That's what's happening in these systems. It doesn't have to do with molecules running around. It doesn't have to do with the specifics of temperature and so on. It really is a very basic computational phenomenon that actually is a consequence of computational irreducibility.”
- Source: Spoken by Stephen Wolfram in a video interview with Brian Keating recorded in the YouTube video ‘Stephen Wolfram | My Discovery Changes Everything’ published on channel ‘Dr. Brian Keating’ on 2024-01-19. Video offset 22:17. Online at https://youtu.be
/c-RO3vM10Ok ?si=i-XspeEtzqA3jPl9 retrieved 2024.
- Keywords: Computation_quotes Second_quotes Law_quotes Essential_quotes Statement_quotes Fact_quotes System_quotes Start_quotes Simplicity_quotes Description_quotes Typical_quotes Complicated_quotes Like_quotes Encryption_quotes Say_quotes Initial_quotes Seed_quotes Run_quotes Practical_quotes Purpose_quotes Look_quotes Random_quotes Happen_quotes Molecule_quotes Specific_quotes Temperature_quotes Phenomenon_quotes Consequence_quotes Irreducibility_quotes Thermodynamics_quotes
Computational Irreducibility
“I’ve increasingly come to view the whole fundamental story of science as being about the interplay between computational irreducibility and computational reducibility. The computational nature of things inevitably leads to computational irreducibility. But there are slices of computational reducibility that inevitably exist on top of this irreducibility that are what make it possible for us — as computationally bounded entities — to identify meaningful scientific laws and to do science.”
- Source: Stephen Wolfram. “The Wolfram Physics Project: A One-Year Update” published 2021-04-14 at https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2021/04/the-wolfram-physics-project-a-one-year-update/.
- Keywords: View_quotes Whole_quotes Fundamental_quotes Story_quotes Science_quotes Interplay_quotes Between_quotes Computation_quotes Irredicible_quotes Reducible_quotes Nature_quotes Inevitable_quotes Lead_quotes Slice_quotes Exist_quotes Top_quotes Make_quotes Possible_quotes Bound_quotes Entity_quotes Identify_quotes Meaning_quotes Law_quotes Do_quotes
See Also
