--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever science attempts to legitimate…" description: "\"Whenever science attempts to legitimate itself, it is no longer scientific but narrative, appealing to an orienting myth that is not susceptible to sci..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/anonymous-1_myth_whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate_2671389.jpg" --- # Whenever science attempts to legitimate itself, it is no… ![“Whenever science attempts to legitimate itself, it is no longer scientific but narrative, appealing to an orienting myth that is not susceptible to scientific legitimation.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/anonymous-1_myth_whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate_2671389.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/anonymous-1_myth_whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate_2671389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/anonymous-1_myth_whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate_2671389.jpg) > “Whenever science attempts to legitimate itself, it is no longer scientific but narrative, appealing to an orienting myth that is not susceptible to scientific legitimation.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When science tries to prove its own legitimacy, it becomes a story rather than an objective inquiry, relying on myths that resist scientific testing. **In simple terms:** Science can become storytelling when defending itself. Key Takeaway Beware of self‑justifying narratives. Themes science philosophy epistemology Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - academic publishing - policy making - public discourse - education Key Concepts self‑legitimation narrative bias Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards keep science objective? - How do myths influence scientific belief? A Different Perspective Narratives may obscure truth and hinder critique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Myth Susceptible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth-susceptible-2505186/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Orienting Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orienting-myth-2505184/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific Legitimation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-legitimation-2505183/) [Scientific Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-narrative-2505188/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [Modernism had two great wishes. It wanted its audience to be led toward a recognition of the social reality of the sign (away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/modernism-had-two-great-wishes-it-wanted-its-audience-to-be-led/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A limit is a myth created by those who are not willing to try new things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-limit-is-a-myth-created-by-those-who-are-not-willing-to-try-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A successful magazine has to build a myth its readers can believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-successful-magazine-has-to-build-a-myth-its-readers-can-believe-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Let us see how high we can fly before the sun melts the wax in our wings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-see-how-high-we-can-fly-before-the-sun-melts-the-wax-in-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...it seemed to me I was living in an insane asylum of my own making. I wnt about with all these fantastic figures: centaurs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-seemed-to-me-i-was-living-in-an-insane-asylum-of-my-own-making-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Only thought which does violence to itself is hard enough to shatter myth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-thought-which-does-violence-to-itself-is-hard-enough-to-shatter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The biggest myth about comedy is that it’s magical, unknowable, unteachable. Those who subscribe to that myth believe that the world is divided into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-myth-about-comedy-is-that-it-s-magical-unknowable/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Which you say that's love, those nothing except a myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/which-you-say-that-s-love-those-nothing-except-a-myth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Peopelnt think there butefuil that is a myth everybody is beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/peopelnt-think-there-butefuil-that-is-a-myth-everybody-is-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Incredibly deep research combines with the talents of a fine historian and writer to produce superb narrative history. The true character and relationship of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-utley/incredibly-deep-research-combines-with-the-talents-of-a-fine/) [Robert M. Utley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-utley/) > [A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-myth-is-a-religion-in-which-no-one-any-longer-believes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They do not depend upon mere legends and myths. They are not predicated on the false conception that the Emperor is divine and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-do-not-depend-upon-mere-legends-and-myths-they-are-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Contemporary paganism gives me a subjective lens through which the world in which I live can be interpreted on an aesthetic and an ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/contemporary-paganism-gives-me-a-subjective-lens-through-which-the/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [I've always had tremendous support from my parents. I think there's a myth that gay people have lousy relationships with their parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-always-had-tremendous-support-from-my-parents-i-think-there-s-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Over the centuries we have transformed the ancient myths and folk tales and made them into the fabric of our lives. Consciously and unconsciously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-zipes/over-the-centuries-we-have-transformed-the-ancient-myths-and-folk/) [Jack Zipes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-zipes/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Myth quotes > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > ['Sex and The City' was made to correct the myth that if you were single at a certain age, you were a leper. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-king/sex-and-the-city-was-made-to-correct-the-myth-that-if-you-were-single/) [Michael Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-king/) > [If it is written and read with serious attention, a novel, like a myth or any great work of art, can become an initiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-it-is-written-and-read-with-serious-attention-a-novel-like-a-myth/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“Believe reality is what you were taught was myth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-mcgirr/believe-reality-is-what-you-were-taught-was-myth/) [Nicholas A. McGirr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-mcgirr/) > [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“I argue that the Jesus of the Gospels is essentially a myth. The Gospels are largely fiction. They were created around the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-elleg-rd/i-argue-that-the-jesus-of-the-gospels-is-essentially-a-myth-the/) [Alvar Ellegård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-elleg-rd/) > [Those who claim absolutism is merely a myth are right that it has been misused simply as a byword for political centralisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wilson/those-who-claim-absolutism-is-merely-a-myth-are-right-that-it-has/) [Peter Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wilson/) > [I think the older you get, you start to break down the myth and you get to the dirt of it - and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-malone/i-think-the-older-you-get-you-start-to-break-down-the-myth-and-you/) [Jena Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jena-malone/) > [“And we cannot keep our balance. Myth gives way to Reason. Revelation to Orthodoxy. We must dance or go mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cheetham/and-we-cannot-keep-our-balance-myth-gives-way-to-reason-revelation-to/) [Tom Cheetham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cheetham/) > [Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. There’s no such place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/canada-is-a-myth-people-made-up-to-entertain-children-like-the-tooth/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The greatest reward of this constant interrogation, confrontation with the brutality of my country, is that it has freed me from hosts and myths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-greatest-reward-of-this-constant-interrogation-confrontation-with/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [Contrary to a common myth, while there are general guidelines, there is no exact 'right' way to run ... I am amazed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/contrary-to-a-common-myth-while-there-are-general-guidelines-there-is/) [Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/) [Browse all 2,141 Myth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whenever science attempts to legitimate itself, it is no longer scientific but narrative, appealing to an orienting myth that is not susceptible to scientific legitimation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate-itself-it-is-no-longer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Myth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate-itself-it-is-no-longer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/anonymous-1_myth_whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate_2671389.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/anonymous-1_myth_whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate_2671389.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/anonymous-1_myth_whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate_2671389.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whenever science attempts to legitimate itself, it is no longer scientific but narrative, appealing to an…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whenever science attempts to legitimate itself,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate-itself-it-is-no-longer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-science-attempts-to-legitimate-itself-it-is-no-longer/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```