All William Whewell Quotes
- In order that the facts obtained by observation and experiment may be capable of being used in furtherance of our exact and solid knowledge, they… According
- The hypotheses which we accept ought to explain phenomena which we have observed. But they ought to do more than this; our hypotheses ought to… Accept
- ...the question undoubtedly is, or soon will be, not whether or no we shall employ notation in chemistry, but whether we shall use a bad… Bad
- The object of science is knowledge; the objects of art are works. In art, truth is the means to an end; in science, it is… Among
- Every failure is a step to success. Every detection of what is false directs us towards what is true: every trial exhausts some tempting form… Detection
- Man is the interpreter of nature, science the right interpretation. Inspirational
- In art, truth is a means to an end; in science, it is the only end. Art
- The catastrophist constructs theories, the uniformitarian demolishes them. Constructs
- Fundamental ideas are not a consequence of experience, but a result of the particular constitution and activity of the mind, which is independent of all… Activity
- We cannot observe external things without some degree of Thought; nor can we reflect upon our Thoughts, without being influenced in the course of our… Cannot Observe
- There is a mask of theory over the whole face of nature. Face
- Gold and iron at the present day, as in ancient times, are the rulers of the world; and the great events in the world of… Ancient
- Astronomy is ... the only progressive Science which the ancient world produced. Accounts
- Nobody since Newton has been able to use geometrical methods to the same extent for the like purposes; and as we read the Principia we… Able
- It is a test of true theories not only to account for but to predict phenomena. Account
- The system becomes more coherent as it is further extended. The elements which we require for explaining a new class of facts are already contained… Already Contained
- To discover the laws of operative power in material productions, whether formed by man or brought into being by Nature herself, is the work of… Brought
- Hence no force, however great, can stretch a cord, however fine, into a horizontal line which is accurately straight: there will always be a bending… Accurately
- Every failure is a step to success. Every Failure
- According to the technical language of old writers, a thing and its qualities are described as subject and attributes; and thus a man's faculties and… According
- The hypotheses we accept ought to explain phenomena which we have observed. But they ought to do more than this: our hypotheses ought to foretell… Accept
- But with regard to the material world, we can at least go so far as this;-we can perceive that events are brought about, not by… Brought