Skip to content

In 50 years - or 20 years, or 200 years - our current…

“In 50 years - or 20 years, or 200 years - our current epistemic horizon (the Big Bang, roughly) may look as parochial as the horizon Newton had to settle for in his day, but no doubt there will still be good questions whose answers elude us.” quote by Daniel Dennett
Download Open image
“In 50 years - or 20 years, or 200 years - our current epistemic horizon (the Big Bang, roughly) may look as parochial as the horizon Newton had to settle for in his day, but no doubt there will still be good questions whose answers elude us.”

Daniel Dennett

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Future scientific horizons will seem limited compared to today’s knowledge, yet some profound questions will remain unanswered.

In simple terms: Even with progress, some big mysteries stay unsolved.

Key Takeaway

Embrace curiosity about enduring mysteries.

Themes

philosophy science humility

Mood

thoughtful hopeful

Type

speculative inspirational

When to use this quote

  • research planning
  • long‑term forecasting
  • educational curricula
  • public policy debates

Key Concepts

epistemology future knowledge unknowns

Questions to Reflect On

  • Which current mysteries might survive future breakthroughs?
  • How should we allocate resources to enduring unknowns?
A Different Perspective

Predicting which questions will persist is uncertain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Daniel Dennett

Explore all 120 Daniel Dennett quotes

More Answers quotes

Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes