“Rationalism doesn't require "belief," only observation. The real, measurable world doesn't care what you believe.” WorldBelieveRealCareBeliefObservationRationalism Book:The Accidental Time Machine Source: The Accidental Time Machine
“We must consider not only why the classical theory of democracy appears to be in contradiction with the observed practice, but also why the many different responses to this observation, though mutually incompatible, all share the belief that democracy is the best form of political organization.” DifferentFormPoliticalBeliefPracticeDemocracyShareTheoryOrganizationResponseObservationContradiction Author:Moses Finley
“Writing is how I communicate my deepest beliefs, and what I hope are helpful observations about our dual citizenship, as children of God, as regular old mixed-up, worried, flawed, precious human beings.” WritingHumansChildrenBeliefHuman BeingsCommunicateObservationWorriedHelpfulCitizenshipFlawedChild Of GodDual Citizenship Author:Anne Lamott
“However the great successes of science - Galileo's telescopic observations, Newton's law of gravity, etc - all of this great success caused people to sort of say, what if we could establish religion on that same successful basis? What if we could have a good rational foundation for religious belief. What if religion could be sort of like science. Of course, that can't be.” PeopleIfsLawCoursesBeliefReligiousSuccessfulBasesFoundationRationalObservationEtcWhat IfGravityNewtonReligious BeliefGreat SuccessNewton's Laws Author:George Coyne
“But the idols of the Market Place are the most troublesome of all: idols which have crept into the understanding through their alliances with words and names. For men believe that their reason governs words. But words turn and twist the understanding. This it is that has rendered philosophy and the sciences inactive. Words are mostly cut to the common fashion and draw the distinctions which are most obvious to the common understanding. Whenever an understanding of greater acuteness or more diligent observation would alter those lines to suit the true distinctions of nature, words complain.” MenBelieveReasonPhilosophyTurnsNamesBeliefLanguageUnderstandingLinesCommonGreaterCuttingFashionDrawsObviousComplainingSuitsObservationDistinctionIdolsTwistsAlliancesDiligentTroublesome Author:Francis Bacon
“Please don't make the mistake of thinking that the arts and sciences are at odds with one another. That is a recent, stupid and damaging idea. You don't have to be unscientific to make beautiful art or to write beautiful things... science is not a body of knowledge or a belief system, it is just a term that describes humankind's incremental acquisition of understanding through observation. Science is awesome. The arts and sciences need to work together to improve how knowledge is communicated.” ThinkingNeedsWritingArtIdeasBodyTogetherBeautifulBeliefUnderstandingTermMistakeStupidPleaseObservationWorking TogetherHumankindOddsBeautiful ThingsAcquisitionBelief SystemsArt And ScienceBeautiful Art Author:Tim Minchin