--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The basis for comprehension is theory…" description: "\"“The basis for comprehension is theory, and the language of theoretical science is mathematics.”\" — D.C. Rapaport" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/d-c-rapaport-229831_mathematics_the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-an_2941513.jpg" --- # The basis for comprehension is theory, and the language of… ![“The basis for comprehension is theory, and the language of theoretical science is mathematics.” quote by D.C. Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/d-c-rapaport-229831_mathematics_the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-an_2941513.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/d-c-rapaport-229831_mathematics_the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-an_2941513.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/d-c-rapaport-229831_mathematics_the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-an_2941513.jpg) > ““The basis for comprehension is theory, and the language of theoretical science is mathematics.”” D.C. Rapaport ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Theoretical science relies on mathematics as its language, forming the basis for understanding. **In simple terms:** Math is the language of theory. Key Takeaway Study math to grasp scientific ideas. Themes science mathematics theory knowledge education Mood analytical educational intellectual Type Mathematics:1 Science:1 Theoretical Science:1 Theory Language:0 Comprehension Theory:0 Language Theoretical:0 Basis Comprehension:0 When to use this quote - research - teaching - academic study - STEM careers Key Concepts philosophy of science mathematics epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How does math shape scientific thought? - Can theory exist without math? A Different Perspective Complex math can be inaccessible to many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“Science requires both observation and comprehension. Without observation there are no facts to be comprehended; without comprehension science is mere documentation. The basis for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/occam-s-razor/science-requires-both-observation-and-comprehension-without/) Occam s razor > [The powerful notion of entropy, which comes from a very special branch of physics … is certainly useful in the study of communication and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer/the-powerful-notion-of-entropy-which-comes-from-a-very-special-branch/) [J. Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer/) > [One of the most important revelations about a period comes in its theory of language, for that informs us whether language is viewed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/one-of-the-most-important-revelations-about-a-period-comes-in-its/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [Practical sciences proceed by building up; theoretical science by resolving into components.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/practical-sciences-proceed-by-building-up-theoretical-science-by/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Economics is a theoretical science and as such abstains from any judgement of value. It is not its task to tell people what ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/economics-is-a-theoretical-science-and-as-such-abstains-from-any/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [So far I have been speaking of theoretical science, which is an attempt to understand the world. Practical science, which is an attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/so-far-i-have-been-speaking-of-theoretical-science-which-is-an/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All biblical exegetes and theologians have a theory of language, whether they acknowledge it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-vanhoozer/all-biblical-exegetes-and-theologians-have-a-theory-of-language/) [Kevin Vanhoozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-vanhoozer/) > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/there-s-no-reason-for-men-to-be-better-at-maths-than-women-it-s-just/) [Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [“π is a mathematician’s dessert”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-maslakovic/is-a-mathematician-s-dessert/) Neve Maslakovic > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) ## More Mathematics quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [“π is a mathematician’s dessert”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-maslakovic/is-a-mathematician-s-dessert/) Neve Maslakovic > [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/there-s-no-reason-for-men-to-be-better-at-maths-than-women-it-s-just/) [Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [In school math and science were my favorite subjects, but I probably in my true self I'm more of a people person. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/in-school-math-and-science-were-my-favorite-subjects-but-i-probably/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [“How in the world did I ever find you?” Mackenzie Winters “Math class.” Brandon Knight”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/how-in-the-world-did-i-ever-find-you-mackenzie-winters-math-class/) [Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/) > [“One is the notion that knowledge is worth acquiring, all knowledge, and that a solid grounding in mathematics provides one with the essential language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-patterson-jr/one-is-the-notion-that-knowledge-is-worth-acquiring-all-knowledge-and/) [William H. Patterson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-patterson-jr/) > [The mathematical facts worthy of being studied are those which, by their analogy with other facts, are capable of leading us to the knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/the-mathematical-facts-worthy-of-being-studied-are-those-which-by/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [“When one day Lagrange took out of his pocket a paper which he read at the Académe, and which contained a demonstration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-biot/when-one-day-lagrange-took-out-of-his-pocket-a-paper-which-he-read-at/) Jean-Baptiste Biot > [“We are not told, or not told early enough so that it sinks in, that mathematics is a language, and that we can learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/we-are-not-told-or-not-told-early-enough-so-that-it-sinks-in-that/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) [Browse all 5,382 Mathematics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The basis for comprehension is theory, and the language of theoretical science is mathematics.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D.C. Rapaport" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-c-rapaport/the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-and-the-language-of-theoretical/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mathematics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-c-rapaport/the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-and-the-language-of-theoretical/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/d-c-rapaport-229831_mathematics_the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-an_2941513.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/d-c-rapaport-229831_mathematics_the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-an_2941513.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/d-c-rapaport-229831_mathematics_the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-an_2941513.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The basis for comprehension is theory, and the language of theoretical science is mathematics.” — D.C. Rapaport", "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": "D.C. Rapaport", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-c-rapaport/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The basis for comprehension is theory,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-c-rapaport/the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-and-the-language-of-theoretical/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-c-rapaport/the-basis-for-comprehension-is-theory-and-the-language-of-theoretical/#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 } } ] } ```