“Accustomed to trace the operation of general causes, and the exemplification of general laws, in circumstances where the uninformed and unenquiring eye perceives neither novelty nor beauty, [the scientist and natural philosopher] walks in the midst of wonders.” ThinkingEyeLawCausesNaturalWalksWonderCircumstancesScientistPhilosopherPerceiveOperationsMidstAccustomedNoveltyUninformed Author:John Herschel
“Disputes among natural philosophers are of use to science, as the quarrels of the great, and the clamors of the little, are necessary to freedom of thought and the advancement of learning.” ThinkingLittlesUseNaturalPhilosopherDisputesQuarrelsAdvancementFreedom Of ThoughtClamor Author:Hal Hellman
“The knowledge that is suited to our situation and powers, the whole compass of moral, natural, and mathematical science, was neglected by the new Platonists; whilst they exhausted their strength in the verbal disputes of metaphysics, attempted to explore the secrets of the invisible world, and studied to reconcile Aristotle with Plato, on subjects of which both these philosophers were as ignorant as the rest of mankind.” WorldWholeNaturalSecretSituationMoralHistorySubjectsMankindPhilosopherInvisibleIgnorantMathematicalMetaphysicsExhaustedPlatoCompassDisputesNeglectedReconcileRoman Empire Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
“Philosophy used to be a field that had content, but then natural philosophy became physics, and physics has only continued to make inroads. Every time theres a leap in physics, it encroaches on these areas that philosophers have carefully sequestered away to themselves, and so then you have this natural resentment on the part of philosophers.” PhilosophyUsedNaturalFieldsAreasPhilosopherPhysicsUsed To BeLeapResentmentNatural Philosophy Author:Lawrence M. Krauss
“Since at least the Middle Ages, philosophers and philologists have dreamed of curing natural languages of their flaws by constructing entirely new idioms according to orderly, logical principles.” AgeLanguageNaturalPrinciplesMiddlePhilosopherLogicalFlawsMiddle AgesOrderlyIdiom Author:Joshua Foer
“The love of truth, virtue, and the happiness of mankind are specious pretexts, but not the inward principles that set divines at work; else why should they affect to abuse human reason, to disparage natural religion, to traduce the philosophers as they universally do?” ShouldHumansReasonTruthNaturalPrinciplesVirtueMankindDivineAbusePhilosopherInwardPretextHuman Reason Book:Philosophical works Source: Philosophical works