"A strong curiosity has prompted men in all times to study nature; every useful art has some connexion with the science; and the unexhausted beauty and variety of things makes it ever agreeable, new and surprising." (Colin Maclaurin, "An Account of Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophical Discoveries", 1748)
"In geometry, as in most sciences, it is very rare that an isolated proposition is of immediate utility. But the theories most powerful in practice are formed of propositions which curiosity alone brought to light, and which long remained useless without its being able to divine in what way they should one day cease to be so. In this sense it may be said, that in real science, no theory, no research, is in effect useless." (Voltaire, "A Philosophical Dictionary", 1764)
"Every stage of science has its train of practical applications and systematic inferences, arising both from the demands of convenience and curiosity, and from the pleasure which, as we have already said, ingenious and active-minded men feel in exercising the process of deduction."
"The determination of the average man is not merely a matter of speculative curiosity; it may be of the most important service to the science of man and the social system. It ought necessarily to precede every other inquiry into social physics, since it is, as it were, the basis. The average man, indeed, is in a nation what the centre of gravity is in a body; it is by having that central point in view that we arrive at the apprehension of all the phenomena of equilibrium and motion." (Adolphe Quetelet, "A Treatise on Man and the Development of his Faculties", 1842)
"Knowledge for the sake of knowledge, as the history of science proves, is an aim with an irresistible fascination for mankind, and which needs no defense. The mere fact that science does, to a great extent, gratify our intellectual curiosity, is a sufficient reason for its existence." (John W N Sullivan, "The Limitations of Science", 1915)
"Curiosity is the aspect of the universe seeking to realise itself, and the fruit of such activity is new reality, stimulating to new research." (Cassius J Keyser, "The Human Worth of Rigorous Thinking: Essays and Addresses", 1916)
"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein." (Zora Neale Hurston, "Dust Tracks on a Road", 1942)
"A great discovery solves a great problem but there is a grain of discovery in the solution of any problem. Your problem may be modest; but if it challenges your curiosity and brings into play your inventive faculties, and if you solve it by your own means, you may experience the tension and enjoy the triumph of discovery." (George Polya, "How to solve it", 1944)
"Scientific progress on a broad front results from free play of free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner dictated by their curiosity for the exploration of the unknown." (Vannevar Bush, "Science: The Endless Frontier", 1945)
"Science cannot be stopped. Men will gather knowledge no matter what the consequences. Science will go on whether we are pessimistic or optimistic, as I am. More interesting discoveries than we can imagine will be made, and I am awaiting them, full of curiosity and enthusiasm." (Linus Pauling, "Chemical Achievement and Hope for the Future", 1947)
"The characteristic feature of our age results from the wedding of science and engineering. It is the working together of disciplined curiosity and purposeful ingenuity to create new materials, new forces, and new opportunities which powerfully affect our manner of living and ways of thinking." (Karl T Compton, "A Scientist Speaks: Excerpts from Addresses by Karl Taylor Compton - During the Years 1930-1949", 1955)
"Questions are the engines of intellect, the cerebral machines which convert energy to motion, and curiosity to controlled inquiry." (David H Fischer, "Historians’ Fallacies", 1970)
"Curiosity, a healthy curiosity, and a desire to learn is what leads the scientist from one problem to another. Once that feeling is lost and there is no excitement or pleasure in learning new facts, the scientist will no longer be able to discover anything new." (Yakov Khurgin, "Did You Say Mathematics?", 1974)
"Some methods, such as those governing the design of experiments or the statistical treatment of data, can be written down and studied. But many methods are learned only through personal experience and interactions with other scientists. Some are even harder to describe or teach. Many of the intangible influences on scientific discovery - curiosity, intuition, creativity - largely defy rational analysis, yet they are often the tools that scientists bring to their work." (Committee on the Conduct of Science, "On Being a Scientist", 1989)
"Those of us in the business of communicating ideas need to go beyond the fact-check and the statistical smackdown. Facts are valuable things, and so is fact-checking. But if we really want people to understand complex issues, we need to engage their curiosity. If people are curious, they will learn." (Tim Harford, "The Data Detective: Ten easy rules to make sense of statistics", 2020)
No comments:
Post a Comment