--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science is based on experiment, on a…" description: "\"“Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe as it really is.”\" — Carl Sagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/carl-sagan-160_experiment_science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-will_645293.jpg" --- # Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to… ![“Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe as it really is.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/carl-sagan-160_experiment_science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-will_645293.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/carl-sagan-160_experiment_science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-will_645293.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/carl-sagan-160_experiment_science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-will_645293.jpg) > ““Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe as it really is.”” [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science advances through experimental testing, questioning established ideas, and open‑minded observation of reality. **In simple terms:** Science is experimental and open‑minded. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and test ideas. Themes science curiosity open‑mindedness Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - research labs - education - policy making - public discourse Key Concepts empiricism philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - What dogma do you challenge today? - How can openness coexist with rigor? A Different Perspective May overlook ethical implications of experiments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Based Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based-experiment-4015166/) [Dogma Openness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma-openness-5173086/) [Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) [Openness Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness-universe-5173085/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Based](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-based-339597/) ## Related quotes > ['2016' is based on an experiment: what if you let Obama do it himself? That experiment is necessarily limited because I'm not factoring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/2016-is-based-on-an-experiment-what-if-you-let-obama-do-it-himself/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe as it really is. Accordingly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-willingness-to-challenge-old/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Religion can have psychological and social roles, but in terms of really explaining how things work, science works differently. Science is based on material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/religion-can-have-psychological-and-social-roles-but-in-terms-of/) [Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/) > [Science is based on our intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/science-is-based-on-our-intelligence/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Remember that every science is based upon an abstraction. An abstraction is taking a point of view or looking at things under a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/remember-that-every-science-is-based-upon-an-abstraction-an-2/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Thinking is seeing… Every human science is based on deduction, which is a slow process of seeing by which we work up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/thinking-is-seeing-every-human-science-is-based-on-deduction-which-is/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > […science-based popular education can have an enormous impact on politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-phillips/science-based-popular-education-can-have-an-enormous-impact-on/) [Carl Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-phillips/) > [People are saying I don't need science, I have everything, but everything is based on science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-dieter-heuer/people-are-saying-i-don-t-need-science-i-have-everything-but/) [Rolf-Dieter Heuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-dieter-heuer/) > [“It's a most peculiar psychology—this business of 'Science is based on faith too, so there!' Typically this is said by people who claim that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/it-s-a-most-peculiar-psychology-this-business-of-science-is-based-on/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [I began my career as a physicist. And in the White House, my buddies were the people from the White House office of science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/i-began-my-career-as-a-physicist-and-in-the-white-house-my-buddies/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) > [“Science is based not on faith but in skeptism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/science-is-based-not-on-faith-but-in-skeptism/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Religion is based upon blind faith supported by no evidence. Science is based upon confidence that results from evidence - and that confidence can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-randi/religion-is-based-upon-blind-faith-supported-by-no-evidence-science/) [James Randi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-randi/) > [There are many hypotheses in physics of almost comparable brillance and elegance that have been rejected because they did not survive such a confrontation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-are-many-hypotheses-in-physics-of-almost-comparable-brillance/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“In the 1920s, there was a dinner at which the physicist Robert W. Wood was asked to respond to a toast ... 'To physics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-the-1920s-there-was-a-dinner-at-which-the-physicist-robert-w-wood/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## More by Carl Sagan > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## More Experiment quotes > [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [Your responsibility as an artist is to experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/squarepusher/your-responsibility-as-an-artist-is-to-experiment/) [Squarepusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/squarepusher/) > [Have I got the right to experiment with my child's life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/have-i-got-the-right-to-experiment-with-my-child-s-life/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [“There is a time and place for electromagnetic shielding and I regard it as a last resort due to the long term biological problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/there-is-a-time-and-place-for-electromagnetic-shielding-and-i-regard/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time because it seemed to be a really nice combination of theory, including mathematical theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/i-picked-economics-at-the-end-of-my-undergraduate-time-because-it/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [As an artiste you want to experiment, meet new people and do different kind of songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-tiwari/as-an-artiste-you-want-to-experiment-meet-new-people-and-do-different/) [Ankit Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankit-tiwari/) > [I don't really know who I am as an actor: the best thing would be to experiment with it for the next 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-don-t-really-know-who-i-am-as-an-actor-the-best-thing-would-be-to/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [I love finding out-of-the-box inspirations and blending them with what I've done in the past. And when I started to experiment with genres, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avicii/i-love-finding-out-of-the-box-inspirations-and-blending-them-with/) [Avicii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avicii/) > [In the Indian film industry, especially those of us who are in mainstream cinema, we invariably play a typical hero's role. More often than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-bachchan/in-the-indian-film-industry-especially-those-of-us-who-are-in/) [Abhishek Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-bachchan/) > [In Spain, we mainly use red plum tomatoes, but it is always fun to experiment. Try using a mix of colors or substitute green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-spain-we-mainly-use-red-plum-tomatoes-but-it-is-always-fun-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All life is an experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/all-life-is-an-experiment/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [What will the greatest experiment discover? I have no idea!, maybe nothing!, If we won't check, we will never know. In science there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-seiberg/what-will-the-greatest-experiment-discover-i-have-no-idea-maybe/) [Nathan Seiberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-seiberg/) > [“Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/life-is-an-experiment-in-which-you-may-fail-or-succeed-explore-more/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [. . . in the full tide of successful experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-the-full-tide-of-successful-experiment/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The Vanguard Experiment was designed to prove that mutual funds could operate independently, and do so in a manner that would directly benefit their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-vanguard-experiment-was-designed-to-prove-that-mutual-funds-could/) [John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/) [Browse all 668 Experiment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe as it really is.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-willingness-to-challenge-old-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Experiment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-willingness-to-challenge-old-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/carl-sagan-160_experiment_science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-will_645293.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/carl-sagan-160_experiment_science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-will_645293.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f9/carl-sagan-160_experiment_science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-will_645293.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe…” — Carl Sagan", "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": "Carl Sagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Science is based on experiment, on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-willingness-to-challenge-old-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-is-based-on-experiment-on-a-willingness-to-challenge-old-2/#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 } } ] } ```