13 quotes
Science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
It is often asserted that discussion is only possible between people who have a common language and accept common basic assumptions. I think that this is a mistake.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
Do not allow your dreams of a beautiful world to lure you away from the claims of men who suffer here and now.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
It seems to me certain that more people are killed out of righteous stupidity than out of wickedness.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
Besides, we should never attempt to balance anybody's misery against somebody else's happiness.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
In our infinite ignorance we are all equal.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
But science is one of the very few human activities — perhaps the only one — in which errors are systematically criticized and fairly often, in time, corrected.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
In brief, it is my thesis that human misery is the most urgent problem of a rational public policy and that happiness is not such a problem.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
Work for the elimination of concrete evils rather than for the realization of abstract goods. Do not aim at establishing happiness by political means. Rather aim at the elimination of concrete miseries.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
The more we learn about the world, and the deeper our learning, the more conscious, specific, and articulate will be our knowledge of what we do not know, our knowledge of our ignorance.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
There are all kinds of sources of our knowledge; but none has authority ... The fundamental mistake made by the philosophical theory of the ultimate sources of our knowledge is that it does not distinguish clearly enough between questions of origin and questions of validity.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
If I were to give a simple formula or recipe for distinguishing between what I consider to be admissible plans for social reform and inadmissible Utopian blueprints, I might say: Work for the elimination of concrete evils rather than for the realization of abstract goods. Do not aim at establishing happiness by political means. Rather aim at the elimination of concrete miseries.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)
The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error. But science is one of the very few human activities — perhaps the only one — in which errors are systematically criticized and fairly often, in time, corrected. This is why we can say that, in science, we often learn from our mistakes, and why we can speak clearly and sensibly about making progress there.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963)