“The discovery which has been pointed to by theory is always one of profound interest and importance, but it is usually the close and crown of a long and fruitful period, whereas the discovery which comes as a puzzle and surprise usually marks a fresh epoch and opens a new chapter in science.” LongHas BeensScienceInterestTheoryPeriodsDiscoveryImportanceMarkSurpriseProfoundChaptersCrownsPuzzlesEpoch Author:Oliver Lodge
“Though the theories of plate tectonics now provide us with a modus operandi, they still seem to me to be a periodic phenomenon. Nothing is world-wide, but everything is episodic. In other words, the history of anyone part of the earth, like the life of a soldier, consists of long periods of boredom and short periods of terror.” WorldLongStillsSeemsEarthScienceTheoryPeriodsSoldierTerrorWideBoredomPhenomenonPlatesModus Operandi Author:D. V. Ager
“Man has existed for about a million years. He has possessed writing for about 6,000 years, agriculture somewhat longer, but perhaps not much longer. Science, as a dominant factor in determining the belief of educated men, has existed for about 300 years; as a source of economic technique, for about 150 years. In this brief period it has proved itself an incredibly powerful revolutionary force. When we consider how recently it has risen to power, we find ourselves forced to believe that we are at the very beginning of its work in transforming human life.” MenWritingYearsBelieveHumansScienceBeliefForcePowerfulHistoryMillionsPowerLearningEconomicSourcePeriodsEconomicsTechniqueFactorsEducatedHuman LifeRevolutionaryPossessedAgricultureDominantTransformingRisenEducated Man Book:The Impact of Science On Society Source: The Impact of Science On Society
“I recently went to my staircase at Clare College, Cambridge and there were women there! There have been a lot of convincing studies recently about the loss of productivity in the Western male. It may be that entertainment culture now is so engaging that it keeps people satisfied. We didn't have that. Science was much more fun than listening to the radio. When you are 16 or 17 and in that inherently semi-lonely period when you are deciding whether to be an intellectual, many now don't bother.” PeopleMayHas BeensScienceCultureFunLossStudyCollegeListeningPeriodsIntellectualLonelyWesternMalesRadioEntertainmentProductivitySatisfiedBotherEngagingConvincingCambridgeStaircases Author:James D. Watson
“Why is it that Serge Lange's Linear Algebra, published by no less a Verlag than Springer, ostentatiously displays the sale of a few thousand copies over a period of fifteen years, while the same title by Seymour Lipschutz in the The Schaum's Outlines will be considered a failure unless it brings in a steady annual income from the sale of a few hundred thousand copies in twenty-six languages?” YearsScienceLanguagePeriodsThousandSixHundredTwentiesMathematicsIncomeTitlesCopiesSteadyDisplayFifteenOutlinesLinearAnnualsAlgebraFifteen Years Author:Gian-Carlo Rota