--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The relevant features of scientific…" description: "\"The relevant features of scientific practice often have mundane explanations which don't point to any deep metaphysical moral. (Thus it would simply be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/david-papineau-18257_biologist_the-relevant-features-of-scientific-prac_3002880.jpg" --- # The relevant features of scientific practice often have… ![“The relevant features of scientific practice often have mundane explanations which don't point to any deep metaphysical moral. (Thus it would simply be messy and pointless for the chemists to essay physical reductions, or for the biologists to offer number-free explanations. It's a weird kind of…” quote by David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/david-papineau-18257_biologist_the-relevant-features-of-scientific-prac_3002880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/david-papineau-18257_biologist_the-relevant-features-of-scientific-prac_3002880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/david-papineau-18257_biologist_the-relevant-features-of-scientific-prac_3002880.jpg) > “The relevant features of scientific practice often have mundane explanations which don't point to any deep metaphysical moral. (Thus it would simply be messy and pointless for the chemists to essay physical reductions, or for the biologists to offer number-free explanations. It's a weird kind of science-worship that views these practical considerations as clues to the nature of reality.)” [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific practice often relies on practical, non‑metaphysical explanations rather than deep moral or ontological truths. **In simple terms:** Science focuses on useful explanations, not ultimate reality. Key Takeaway Accept practical limits of scientific explanations. Themes science philosophy metaphysics ethics Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - research design - policy analysis - education - public communication Key Concepts reductionism pragmatism epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance practical utility with deeper inquiry? - When is it appropriate to seek metaphysical explanations? A Different Perspective Practical explanations may overlook deeper insights. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biologist/) [Consideration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consideration/) [Metaphysical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysical/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [A certain kind of methodologically-minded philosopher of science is quick to read off metaphysical conclusions from features of scientific practice. Chemists don't derive their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/a-certain-kind-of-methodologically-minded-philosopher-of-science-is/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [Scientific practice is above all a story-telling practice. ... Biology is inherently historical, and its form of discourse is inherently narrative. ... Biology as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-j-haraway/scientific-practice-is-above-all-a-story-telling-practice-biology-is/) [Donna J. Haraway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-j-haraway/) > [“There have been applied sciences throughout the ages. ... However this so-called practice was not much more than paper in nearly all of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-doppler/there-have-been-applied-sciences-throughout-the-ages-however-this-so/) Christian Doppler > [I think people all over the institution recognize that different ways of understanding are valuable. Artists may think in a different way than biologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-think-people-all-over-the-institution-recognize-that-different-ways/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [We live in a highly industrialized society and every member of the Black nation must be as academically and technologically developed as possible. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-m-beal/we-live-in-a-highly-industrialized-society-and-every-member-of-the/) Frances M. Beal > [Like no other science, astrophysics cross-pollinate s the expertise of chemists, biologists, geologists and physicists, all to discover the past, present, and future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/like-no-other-science-astrophysics-cross-pollinate-s-the-expertise-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It is an occupational risk of biologists to claim, towards the end of their careers, that the problems which they have not solved are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-smith/it-is-an-occupational-risk-of-biologists-to-claim-towards-the-end-of/) [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) > [I am of course getting angry if biologists try to use the general concept 'chance' in order to explain phenomena which are so typical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-paul/i-am-of-course-getting-angry-if-biologists-try-to-use-the-general/) [Wolfgang Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-paul/) > [Bird taxonomy is a difficult field because of the severe anatomical constraints imposed by flight. There are only so many ways to design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/bird-taxonomy-is-a-difficult-field-because-of-the-severe-anatomical/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [A high place of honor, although doubtless one to be obtained only after enduring the pangs of a prolonged crucifixion, awaits that philosophical biologist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-trumbull-ladd/a-high-place-of-honor-although-doubtless-one-to-be-obtained-only/) [George Trumbull Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-trumbull-ladd/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Le biologiste passe, la grenouille reste. The biologist passes, the frog remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/le-biologiste-passe-la-grenouille-reste-the-biologist-passes-the-frog/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) ## More by David Papineau > [Nearly everybody nowadays accepts the 'causal completeness of physics' - every physical event (or at least its probability) has a full physical cause. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/nearly-everybody-nowadays-accepts-the-causal-completeness-of-physics/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [My first degree was in mathematics. That was great, but it didn't help with many of the things that puzzled me. I became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/my-first-degree-was-in-mathematics-that-was-great-but-it-didn-t-help/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [If there is such a simple argument for physicalism, how come everybody hasn't always been a physicalist? That's a good question, and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/if-there-is-such-a-simple-argument-for-physicalism-how-come-everybody/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [Kripke says that physicalists like me can't explain the 'apparent contingency' of mind-brain identities. He maintains that, if I really believed that pains are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/kripke-says-that-physicalists-like-me-can-t-explain-the-apparent/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [A certain kind of methodologically-minded philosopher of science is quick to read off metaphysical conclusions from features of scientific practice. Chemists don't derive their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/a-certain-kind-of-methodologically-minded-philosopher-of-science-is/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [I think my view is rather more radical than Pete Mandik's. Both of us want to show that colour perception doesn't transcend what can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/i-think-my-view-is-rather-more-radical-than-pete-mandik-s-both-of-us/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [On the methodological issue, I think that would be hopeless to try to adjudicate between my view and orthodoxy by appeal to phenomenological introspection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/on-the-methodological-issue-i-think-that-would-be-hopeless-to-try-to/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [Again, when we view a scene fleetingly, do we consciously see all the details even though we don't retain them, or do we not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/again-when-we-view-a-scene-fleetingly-do-we-consciously-see-all-the/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [Everybody agrees that a future in which you are dead is a very bad thing, and that it isn't made any better by your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/everybody-agrees-that-a-future-in-which-you-are-dead-is-a-very-bad/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [I don't think that we can figure out what is going on in conscious colour perception just by phenomenological introspection. We need to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/i-don-t-think-that-we-can-figure-out-what-is-going-on-in-conscious/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [In truth a clear-headed physicalist shouldn't be thinking any of these dualist thoughts. If pains are one and the same as C-fibres firing, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/in-truth-a-clear-headed-physicalist-shouldn-t-be-thinking-any-of/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [The use of neuroscientific data to help resolve phenomenological questions is proving a common theme in much contemporary thinking about the mind. How rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/the-use-of-neuroscientific-data-to-help-resolve-phenomenological/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [Natural selection has ensured that each species achieves the requisite effect somehow, but it doesn't care, so to speak, how the trick is done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/natural-selection-has-ensured-that-each-species-achieves-the/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [I realize that I won't have quite enough time to understand everything - but that hasn't stopped me wanting to understand as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/i-realize-that-i-won-t-have-quite-enough-time-to-understand/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [Schrödinger's cat has a 50% quantum chance of coming out of the box alive and a 50% quantum chance of coming out dead. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/schr-dinger-s-cat-has-a-50-quantum-chance-of-coming-out-of-the-box/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) [Explore all 35 David Papineau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) ## More Biologist quotes > [Le biologiste passe, la grenouille reste. The biologist passes, the frog remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/le-biologiste-passe-la-grenouille-reste-the-biologist-passes-the-frog/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [A high place of honor, although doubtless one to be obtained only after enduring the pangs of a prolonged crucifixion, awaits that philosophical biologist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-trumbull-ladd/a-high-place-of-honor-although-doubtless-one-to-be-obtained-only/) [George Trumbull Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-trumbull-ladd/) > [Bird taxonomy is a difficult field because of the severe anatomical constraints imposed by flight. There are only so many ways to design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/bird-taxonomy-is-a-difficult-field-because-of-the-severe-anatomical/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [I am of course getting angry if biologists try to use the general concept 'chance' in order to explain phenomena which are so typical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-paul/i-am-of-course-getting-angry-if-biologists-try-to-use-the-general/) [Wolfgang Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-paul/) > [It is an occupational risk of biologists to claim, towards the end of their careers, that the problems which they have not solved are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-smith/it-is-an-occupational-risk-of-biologists-to-claim-towards-the-end-of/) [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) > [Frogs will eat red-flannel worms fed to them by biologists; this proves a great deal about both parties concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/frogs-will-eat-red-flannel-worms-fed-to-them-by-biologists-this/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [I am quite sure that our views on evolution would be very different had biologists studied genetics and natural selection before and not after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-quite-sure-that-our-views-on-evolution-would-be-very-different/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To the biologist the problem of socialism appears largely as a problem of size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/to-the-biologist-the-problem-of-socialism-appears-largely-as-a/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [The question of historicity and actuality with regard to gods and unicorns is a relatively trifling matter which may be left to antiquarians and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odell-shepard/the-question-of-historicity-and-actuality-with-regard-to-gods-and/) [Odell Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odell-shepard/) > [I've always been a serious computer nerd, as well as a biologist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-derisi/i-ve-always-been-a-serious-computer-nerd-as-well-as-a-biologist/) [Joseph DeRisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-derisi/) > [As an evolutionary biologist, I have learned over the years that most people do not want to see themselves as lumbering robots programmed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-smith/as-an-evolutionary-biologist-i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-most/) [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) [Browse all 183 Biologist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biologist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The relevant features of scientific practice often have mundane explanations which don't point to any deep metaphysical moral. 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