“[T]ruly grand and powerful theories [...] do not and cannot rest upon single observations. Evolution is an inference from thousands of independent sources, the only conceptual structure that can make unified sense of all this disparate information. The failure of a particular claim usually records a local error, not the bankruptcy of a central theory. [...] If I mistakenly identify your father's brother as your own dad, you don't become genealogically rootless and created de novo. You still have a father; we just haven't located him properly.” IfsStillsFatherPowerfulRecordsHavensInformationParticularBrotherTheorySourceEvolutionDadClaimsIndependentStructureErrorsLocalsObservationBankruptcyUnifiedInference Author:Stephen Jay Gould
“The average, vague understanding of being can be permeated by traditional theories and opinions about being in such a way that these theories, as the sources of the prevailing understanding, remain hidden.” WayUnderstandingOpinionTheorySourceAverageTraditionalIdeologyVaguePrevailing Book:Being and Time Source: Being and Time
“Now these two questions Does there exist a material reality distinct from sensible appearances? and What is the nature of reality? do not have their source in experimental method, which is acquainted only with sensible appearances and can discover nothing beyond them. The resolution of these questions transcends the methods used by physics; it is the object of metaphysics. Therefore, if the aim of physical theories is to explain experimental laws, theoretical physics is not an autonomous science; it is subordinate to metaphysics.” IfsDoeTwoRealityLawUsedObjectsMaterialsTheorySourceAimMethodAppearancePhysicsResolutionSensibleMetaphysicsTheoreticalSubordinatesAutonomousTheoretical Physics Author:Pierre Duhem
“Religion is not simply a theory, it is a higher life, of which morality is an integral part - a life devoted to the worship of the good and the true, for God, the absolute, is the supreme source of all perfection" ("La religion n'et pas une smple théorie, elle est une vie supérieure, dont la moralité fait partie intégrante - une vie vouée au culte du bien et du vrai, car Dieu, l'absolu est la source de toute perfection", Fr.)” CarTheorySourceHigherMoralityWorshipPerfectionAbsolutesSupremeDevoted Author:African Spir
“A fact is a proposition of which the verification by an appeal to the primary sources of our knowledge or to experience is directand simple. A theory, on the other hand, if true, has all the characteristics of a fact except that its verification is possible only by indirect, remote, and difficult means.” IfsMeanFactsHandsDifficultSimpleTheorySourcePrimariesAppealsCharacteristicsPropositionsIndirectVerificationPrimary Source Book:Philosphical Discussions Source: Philosphical Discussions
“One of the greatest sources of problems in our society arises from people having loads of wrong theories in their heads - often theories that are critical of others - that they won't test by speaking to the relevant people about them. Instead, they talk behind people's backs, which leads to pervasive misinformation.” PeopleLifeProblemGrowthBehindsTheorySourceTestsPersonal GrowthInvestingCriticalAriseOur SocietyRelevantLoadMisinformation Author:Ray Dalio
“In social cognitive theory, perceived self-efficacy results from diverse sources of information conveyed vicariously and through social evaluation, as well as through direct experience” WellsSelfSocialResultsInformationTheorySourceDirectDiverseCognitiveEvaluationEfficacySelf EfficacyPerceived Self Author:Albert Bandura
“Science fiction - and the correct shortcut is 'sf' - uses actual scientific facts or theories for the source ideas or framework of the story. It has some scientific content, however speculative. If it breaks a law of physics, it knows it's doing so and follows up the consequences. If it invents a society of aliens, it does so with some respect for and knowledge of the social sciences and what you might call social probabilities. And some of it is literarily self-aware enough to treat its metaphors as metaphors.” IfsKnowsDoeIdeasSelfEnoughFactsStoriesUseMightLawSocialFictionBreakTheorySourceConsequenceTreatsScience FictionMetaphorPhysicsAliensProbabilityFrameworkShortcutsSocial ScienceLaws Of PhysicsScientific FactsFollow Up Author:Ursula K. Le Guin
“Precisely constructed models for linguistic structure can play an important role, both negative and positive, in the process of discovery itself. By pushing a precise but inadequate formulation to an unacceptable conclusion, we can often expose the exact source of this inadequacy and, consequently, gain a deep understanding of the linguistic data. More positively, a formalized theory may automatically provide solutions for many problems other than those for which it was explicitly designed.” MayImportantPlayProblemProcessUnderstandingRolesTheorySourceModelsSolutionsDiscoveryGainsNegativeStructureConclusionDataPushingPrecisePositivelyInadequateInadequacyDeep UnderstandingNegative And Positive Book:Syntactic Structures Source: Syntactic Structures
“No one can predict whether the earth will be cooler or hotter next year, let alone do anything to change it. If you're afraid of global warming, turn off the lights when you leave the room - but don't participate in the corruption of science, don't scare our kids with unproven cataclysmic theories, and don't try to ban economic energy sources that people living on this planet depend upon today. And don't try to stop progress; it's the only hope the earth has of seeing clean industry, short of exterminating mankind.” PeopleIfsTryingYearsLightKidsTodayEarthTurnsNextEnergyRoomsProgressSeeingEconomicMankindPlanetsTheorySourceDependsIndustryCleanCorruptionGlobal WarmingScareNext YearBansLiving OnTurn OffEnergy SourcesHotter Author:Doug Casey
“Moral theory develops from the divine command theory of medieval Christian philosophy, mixed up with a bit of ancient pagan virtue theory, to the purely secular moral sentiment and interpersonal reaction theories of Smith and Hume, to Kant's attempt to restore command theory but with something supersensible in the individual rather than God as the source of authority.” PhilosophyChristianIndividualBitsMoralVirtueDivineTheorySourceAuthorityAncientReactionsCommandSentimentsSecularMedievalPaganInterpersonalHumeChristian Philosophy Author:Catherine Wilson