--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Real science is all about critically…" description: "\"Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position.\" — Ben Goldacre" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63f/ben-goldacre-9578_evidence_real-science-is-all-about-critically-app_3225159.png" --- # Real science is all about critically appraising the… ![“Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position.” quote by Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63f/ben-goldacre-9578_evidence_real-science-is-all-about-critically-app_3225159.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63f/ben-goldacre-9578_evidence_real-science-is-all-about-critically-app_3225159.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63f/ben-goldacre-9578_evidence_real-science-is-all-about-critically-app_3225159.png) > “Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position.” [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evaluating others' claims requires rigorous, unbiased analysis of the supporting data. **In simple terms:** Check evidence, not just opinions. Key Takeaway Question assumptions, demand proof. Themes critical thinking scientific method skepticism Mood analytical skeptical Type educational informative When to use this quote - research reviews - policy analysis - media literacy Key Concepts evidence evaluation bias detection Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify the credibility of a source? - What biases might affect your appraisal? A Different Perspective May overlook context or nuance in complex debates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appraising Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appraising-evidence-6078947/) [Critically Appraising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critically-appraising-6078948/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Evidence Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence-somebody-2483855/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-science-523386/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Critically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-critically-6078946/) ## Related quotes > [Leaking classified information is a crime. And if we have evidence that somebody in the executive branch is committing a crime, we should prosecute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/leaking-classified-information-is-a-crime-and-if-we-have-evidence/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [Real science exists, then, only from the moment when a phenomenon is accurately defined as to its nature and rigorously determined in relation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/real-science-exists-then-only-from-the-moment-when-a-phenomenon-is/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [ I think Douglas \[Douglas Adams\] was a real one-off. He was so clever and so intelligent and so well read in real science that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalla-ward/i-think-douglas-douglas-adams-was-a-real-one-off-he-was-so-clever-and/) [Lalla Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalla-ward/) > [“I stoped reading science fiction once I saw that the UFO was real. It became science fact that just hasn't been proven yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-bird/i-stoped-reading-science-fiction-once-i-saw-that-the-ufo-was-real-it/) [Mike Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-bird/) > [Those people have no real interest in a science who only begin to get excited about it when they themselves have made discoveries in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/those-people-have-no-real-interest-in-a-science-who-only-begin-to-get/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No human investigation can be called real science if it cannot be demonstrated mathematically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/no-human-investigation-can-be-called-real-science-if-it-cannot-be/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [The real name for 'science' is magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/the-real-name-for-science-is-magic/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [In an era when the nation's collective imagination is no longer captured by space, real science sometimes has a smaller budget than science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kendall/in-an-era-when-the-nation-s-collective-imagination-is-no-longer/) [Peter Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kendall/) > [Science always interested me, and science, real science, was more science fiction than science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-hershman-leeson/science-always-interested-me-and-science-real-science-was-more/) [Lynn Hershman Leeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-hershman-leeson/) > [“Pseudoscience is embraced, it might be argued, in exact proportion as real science is misunderstood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/pseudoscience-is-embraced-it-might-be-argued-in-exact-proportion-as/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We didn't set out to be educators or even scientists, and we don't purport that what we do is real science but we're demonstrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/we-didn-t-set-out-to-be-educators-or-even-scientists-and-we-don-t/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [Real science can be far stranger than science fiction and much more satisfying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/real-science-can-be-far-stranger-than-science-fiction-and-much-more/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Real science is recognizing an outcome, not always about reinforcing your theory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-fry/real-science-is-recognizing-an-outcome-not-always-about-reinforcing/) [Jeffrey Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-fry/) > [Real science is the greatest, most exciting springboard I have available to me as a writer, and I don't feel the least bit constrained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/real-science-is-the-greatest-most-exciting-springboard-i-have/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Physics is the only real science. The rest are just stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/physics-is-the-only-real-science-the-rest-are-just-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) ## More by Ben Goldacre > [In general, drug companies are reasonably good at developing new treatments, and there's also a lot of good in the industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/in-general-drug-companies-are-reasonably-good-at-developing-new/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [Amazing things happen when you pull individual pieces of information together into larger linked datasets: meaning emerges, as you produce facts from figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/amazing-things-happen-when-you-pull-individual-pieces-of-information/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“Aside from all this, for several of the most important and enduring problems in medicine, we have no idea what the best treatment is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/aside-from-all-this-for-several-of-the-most-important-and-enduring/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“At school you were taught about chemicals in test tubes, equations to describe motion, and maybe something on photosynthesis—about which more later—but in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/at-school-you-were-taught-about-chemicals-in-test-tubes-equations-to/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [ And if, by the end \[of this book\], you reckon you might still disagree with me, then I offer you this: you'll still be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/and-if-by-the-end-of-this-book-you-reckon-you-might-still-disagree/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/i-think-you-ll-find-it-s-a-bit-more-complicated-than-that/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“Today, scientists and doctors find themselves outnumbered and outgunned by vast armies of individuals who feel entitled to pass judgment on matters of evidence—an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/today-scientists-and-doctors-find-themselves-outnumbered-and/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [I hope that you will be asked to participate in a trial at some stage in your disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/i-hope-that-you-will-be-asked-to-participate-in-a-trial-at-some-stage/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [Most bloggers have no institutional credibility, and so they must build it, by linking transparently, and allowing you to easily double check their work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/most-bloggers-have-no-institutional-credibility-and-so-they-must/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“The American Academy of Pediatrics officially supports breastfeeding, but receives about half a million dollars from Ross, manufacturers of Similac infant formula.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/the-american-academy-of-pediatrics-officially-supports-breastfeeding/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“More than that, these adverts sell a dubious world view. They sell the idea that science is not about the delicate relationship between evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/more-than-that-these-adverts-sell-a-dubious-world-view-they-sell-the/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“At school you were taught about chemicals in test tubes, equations to describe motion, and maybe something on photosynthesis – about which more later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/at-school-you-were-taught-about-chemicals-in-test-tubes-equations-to-2/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“My basic hypothesis is this: the people who run the media are Humanities graduates with little understanding of science, who wear their ignorance as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/my-basic-hypothesis-is-this-the-people-who-run-the-media-are/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [“The current regulations -- for companies, doctors and researchers -- create perverse incentives; and we'll have better luck fixing those broken systems than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/the-current-regulations-for-companies-doctors-and-researchers-create/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [Doctors and patients need as much data as possible to make an informed decision about what treatment is best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/doctors-and-patients-need-as-much-data-as-possible-to-make-an/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) [Explore all 71 Ben Goldacre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) ## More Evidence quotes > [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/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [“What you owe your critics are your RESULTS not explanations not defence just RESULTS.Evidence terminates Arguments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-durotoye/what-you-owe-your-critics-are-your-results-not-explanations-not/) [Fela Durotoye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-durotoye/) > [“Dogmatism compensates for evidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-wallace/dogmatism-compensates-for-evidence/) [Dana Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-wallace/) > [“Cops aren't really your friends, they are trying to be your friends but they are not… - They are searching evidence to PIN YOU.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/cops-aren-t-really-your-friends-they-are-trying-to-be-your-friends/) [Deyth Banger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deyth-banger/) > [There's overwhelming evidence... circumstantial and otherwise, to suggest a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/there-s-overwhelming-evidence-circumstantial-and-otherwise-to-suggest/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Human unhappiness is evidence of our immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/human-unhappiness-is-evidence-of-our-immortality/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [The state is in danger of falling into disrepute due to the evidence of its inadequate resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-habermas/the-state-is-in-danger-of-falling-into-disrepute-due-to-the-evidence/) [Jurgen Habermas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-habermas/) > [You are innocent until proven guilty. And if folks have come forward, whether it is judge Roy Moore or whether it is anyone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rosendale/you-are-innocent-until-proven-guilty-and-if-folks-have-come-forward/) [Matt Rosendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rosendale/) > [There is still zero empirical evidence that anthropogenic production of CO2 is making any measurable contribution to the world's present warming trend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-still-zero-empirical-evidence-that-anthropogenic-production/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [“‎If you regard evidence as a constraint and seek to free yourself, you sell yourself into the chains of your whims. For you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/if-you-regard-evidence-as-a-constraint-and-seek-to-free-yourself-you/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [ We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. \[This is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theory-has-been-accepted-as-fact/) [Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/) [Browse all 3,643 Evidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Goldacre" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/real-science-is-all-about-critically-appraising-the-evidence-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evidence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/real-science-is-all-about-critically-appraising-the-evidence-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63f/ben-goldacre-9578_evidence_real-science-is-all-about-critically-app_3225159.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63f/ben-goldacre-9578_evidence_real-science-is-all-about-critically-app_3225159.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63f/ben-goldacre-9578_evidence_real-science-is-all-about-critically-app_3225159.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position.” — Ben Goldacre", "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": "Ben Goldacre", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Real science is all about critically...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/real-science-is-all-about-critically-appraising-the-evidence-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/real-science-is-all-about-critically-appraising-the-evidence-for/#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 } } ] } ```