--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I esteem his understanding and subtlety…" description: "\"I esteem his understanding and subtlety highly, but I consider that they have been put to ill use in the greater part of his work, where the author stu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/christiaan-huygens-25295_absurd_i-esteem-his-understanding-and-subtlety_1521039.jpg" --- # I esteem his understanding and subtlety highly, but I… ![“I esteem his understanding and subtlety highly, but I consider that they have been put to ill use in the greater part of his work, where the author studies things of little use or when he builds on the improbable principle of attraction. Writing about Newton's Principia. Huygens had some time…” quote by Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/christiaan-huygens-25295_absurd_i-esteem-his-understanding-and-subtlety_1521039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/christiaan-huygens-25295_absurd_i-esteem-his-understanding-and-subtlety_1521039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/christiaan-huygens-25295_absurd_i-esteem-his-understanding-and-subtlety_1521039.jpg) > “I esteem his understanding and subtlety highly, but I consider that they have been put to ill use in the greater part of his work, where the author studies things of little use or when he builds on the improbable principle of attraction. Writing about Newton's Principia. Huygens had some time earlier indicated he did not believe the theory of universal gravitation, saying it 'appears to me absurd.'” [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Huygens critiques Newton's work as focusing on impractical topics and relying on questionable attraction principles. **In simple terms:** He doubts Newton's practical value and foundational assumptions. Key Takeaway Question underlying assumptions in scientific theories. Themes skepticism scientific critique philosophy of science Mood critical analytical Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - academic research - physics education - philosophical debate - policy advising - science communication Key Concepts Newtonian mechanics principle of attraction epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What makes a scientific theory valuable? - How do we balance critique with appreciation? 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So many Suns, so many Earths, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/what-a-wonderful-and-amazing-scheme-have-we-here-of-the-magnificent/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) > [“I esteem his understanding and subtlety highly, but I consider that they have been put to ill use in the greater part of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/i-esteem-his-understanding-and-subtlety-highly-but-i-consider-that-2/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) > [I had not thought of this regular decrease of gravity, namely that it is as the inverse square of the distance; this is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/i-had-not-thought-of-this-regular-decrease-of-gravity-namely-that-it/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) > [...great difficulties are felt at first and these cannot be overcome except by starting from experiments .. and then be conceiving certain hypotheses ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/great-difficulties-are-felt-at-first-and-these-cannot-be-overcome/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) > [We shall be less apt to admire what this World calls Great, shall nobly despise those Trifles the generality of Men set their Affections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-huygens/we-shall-be-less-apt-to-admire-what-this-world-calls-great-shall/) [Christiaan Huygens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) [Explore all 23 Christiaan Huygens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-huygens/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. 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