15 quotes
There are two kinds of people in the world, whom we might dub the jobholders and the enthusiasts.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
History has often proved the shortsightedness of the practical men and vindicated the "lazy" dreamers; it has also proved that the dreamers are often mistaken.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
From the humanistic point of view every human achievement is unforgettable and immortal in its essence, even if it is replaced by a "better" one.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
Erudition without pedantry is as a rare as wisdom itself.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
The general acceptance of simple ideas is difficult and rare, and yet it is only when simple, fundamental, ideas have been accepted that further progress becomes possible on a higher level.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
Scientific achievements seem evanescent, because the very progress of science causes their supersedure; yet some of them are of so fundamental a nature that they are immortal in a deeper way.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
The historical order is very interesting, but accidental and capricious; if we would to understand the growth of knowledge, we cannot be satisfied with accidents, we must explain how knowledge was gradually built up.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
Greek culture is pleasant to contemplate because of its great simplicity and naturalness, and because of the absence of gadgets, each of which is sooner or later a cause of servitude.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
It is childish to assume that science began in Greece; the Greek "miracle" was prepared by millenia of work in Egypt, Mesopotamia and possibly in other regions. Greek science was less an invention than a revival.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
Wisdom is not mathematical, nor astronomical, nor zoological; when it talks too much of any one thing it ceases to be itself. There are wise physicists, but wisdom is not physical; there are wise physicians, but wisdom is not medical.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
As I grew older my lectures became simpler; I tried to say fewer things and to say them better, with more humanity. This book continues in a different way the same evolution, but it is not yet as simple as I would have liked to have made it.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
My main interest... is the love of truth, whether pleasant or not. Truth is self-sufficient, and there is nothing to which it can be subordinated without loss. When truth is made subservient to anything else, however great (say religion), it becomes impure and sordid.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
The history of science should not be an instrument to defend any kind of social or philosophic theory; it should be used only for its own purpose, to illustrate impartially the working of reason against unreason, the gradual unfolding of truth, in all its forms, whether pleasant or unpleasant, useful or useless, welcome or unwelcome.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
The rationalism of the creative minds was tempered by abundant fantasies, and the supreme beauty of the monuments was probably spoiled by the circumambient vanities and ugliness; in a few cases the Greeks came as close to perfection as it was possible to do, yet they were human and imperfect.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
Hellenic science is a victory of rationalism, which appears greater, not smaller, when one is made to realize that it had been won in spite of the irrational beliefs of the Greek people; all in all, it was a triumph of reason in the face of unreason. Some knowledge of Greek superstitions is needed not only for a proper appreciation of that triumph but also for the justification of occasional failures, such as the many Platonic aberrations.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)