Theory Quotes by James Gleick

8 Theory quotes by James Gleick

James Gleick’s concise reflections on theory weave storytelling with scientific thought, delivering a quick yet engaging intellectual snapshot.

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“From this point of view, the laws of science represent data compression in action. A theoretical physicist acts like a very clever…

James Gleick

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“For the purposes of science, information had to mean something special. Three centuries earlier, the new discipline of physics could not proceed…

James Gleick

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Information theory began as a bridge from mathematics to electrical engineering and from there to computing.

James Gleick

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“the new discipline of physics could not proceed until Isaac Newton appropriated words that were ancient and vague—force, mass, motion, and even…

James Gleick

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“When Isaac Newton embarked on his great program, he encountered a fundamental lack of definition where it was most needed. He began…

James Gleick

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I take the view that we all have permission to be a little baffled by quantum information science and algorithmic information theory.

James Gleick

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A bit, the smallest unit of information, the fundamental particle of information theory, is a choice, yes or no, on or off.…

James Gleick

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The body itself is an information processor. Memory resides not just in brains but in every cell. No wonder genetics bloomed along…

James Gleick

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When the Lilliputians first saw Gulliver's watch, that "wonderful kind of engine...a globe, half silver and half of some transparent metal," they identified it…

James Gleick

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You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. And in an analogous way, information is associated with disorder, which seems…

James Gleick

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“No one has even a definitive spelling for Cawdrey’s name (Cowdrey, Cawdry). But then, no one agreed on the spelling of most names: they…

James Gleick

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“Where, then, is any particular gene—say, the gene for long legs in humans? This is a little like asking where is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata…

James Gleick

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Alphabetical order had to be invented to help people organize the first dictionaries. On the other hand, we may have reached a point where…

James Gleick

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As a technology, the book is like a hammer. That is to say, it is perfect: a tool ideally suited to its task. Hammers…

James Gleick

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The universe is computing its own destiny.

James Gleick

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A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book is a…

James Gleick

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“From this point of view, the laws of science represent data compression in action. A theoretical physicist acts like a very clever coding algorithm.…

James Gleick

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Children and scientists share an outlook on life. If I do this, what will happen? is both the motto of the child at play…

James Gleick

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“Your body moves always in the present, the dividing line between the past and the future, but your mind is more free. It can…

James Gleick

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People worry about Twitter. Twitter is banal. It's 140-character messages. By definition, you can hardly say anything profound. On the other hand, we communicate.…

James Gleick

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“The Difference Engine stands—for a replica works today, in the Science Museum in London—as a milestone of what could be achieved in precision engineering.…

James Gleick