--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This doesn't show that there is anything…" description: "\"This doesn't show that there is anything wrong with our theoretical understanding, any more than the intuition that the Earth is at rest shows that the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/david-papineau-18257_block_this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything_2481821.jpg" --- # This doesn't show that there is anything wrong with our… ![“This doesn't show that there is anything wrong with our theoretical understanding, any more than the intuition that the Earth is at rest shows that there must be something theoretically wrong with Copernicanism, or the intuition that time is moving shows that there is something theoretically wrong…” quote by David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/david-papineau-18257_block_this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything_2481821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/david-papineau-18257_block_this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything_2481821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/david-papineau-18257_block_this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything_2481821.jpg) > “This doesn't show that there is anything wrong with our theoretical understanding, any more than the intuition that the Earth is at rest shows that there must be something theoretically wrong with Copernicanism, or the intuition that time is moving shows that there is something theoretically wrong with the block universe 'B series' view of change.” [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. Intuitive beliefs about motion or rest don’t invalidate scientific theories; they merely highlight the gap between intuition and formal models. **In simple terms:** Intuition can conflict with scientific theory. Key Takeaway Question assumptions, seek evidence. Themes philosophy science epistemology Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - physics education - public discourse - philosophical debate - science communication Key Concepts intuition theory modeling Questions to Reflect On - What intuitive belief challenges your scientific view? - How can you reconcile intuition with theory? A Different Perspective Intuitions are hard to change even with evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [To picture world history as advancing smoothly and steadily without sometimes taking gigantic strides backward is undialectical, unscientific and theoretically wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/to-picture-world-history-as-advancing-smoothly-and-steadily-without/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [I say that there is nothing deficient about our current theoretical grasp of mind-brain identities. The problem is only that they are counter-intuitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/i-say-that-there-is-nothing-deficient-about-our-current-theoretical/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [We commit not only theoretical error but also moral wrong in objectifying ourselves or other rational beings, ignoring their capacities for free action and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/we-commit-not-only-theoretical-error-but-also-moral-wrong-in/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [I see anarchism as the theoretical ideal to which we are all gradually evolving to a point where everybody can tell the truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-see-anarchism-as-the-theoretical-ideal-to-which-we-are-all/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [We were convinced that the people need and require this faith. We have therefore undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/we-were-convinced-that-the-people-need-and-require-this-faith-we-have/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [One of the goals of philosophy is wage theoretical battle. That is why we can say that every thesis is always, by its very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-althusser/one-of-the-goals-of-philosophy-is-wage-theoretical-battle-that-is-why/) [Louis Althusser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-althusser/) > [When you design a building, you start from a general philosophy, and you come down, and you start from detail and come up. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/when-you-design-a-building-you-start-from-a-general-philosophy-and/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [Humanism has many meanings, but what attracts me about it is that it encourages men and women to take a broad view of situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-badaracco/humanism-has-many-meanings-but-what-attracts-me-about-it-is-that-it/) [Joseph Badaracco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-badaracco/) > [So instead of talking about theoretical ways of ending the war and violence, I say that we have to get rid of the individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-quinn/so-instead-of-talking-about-theoretical-ways-of-ending-the-war-and/) [Colin Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-quinn/) > [ The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. \[...\] I conjecture that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-edmonds/the-classes-of-problems-which-are-respectively-known-and-not-known-to/) [Jack Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-edmonds/) > [A theoretical system does not merely state facts which have been observed and that logically deducible relations to other facts which have also been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talcott-parsons/a-theoretical-system-does-not-merely-state-facts-which-have-been/) [Talcott Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talcott-parsons/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [The fear of speculation, the ostensible rush from the theoretical to the practical, brings about the same shallowness in action that it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/the-fear-of-speculation-the-ostensible-rush-from-the-theoretical-to/) [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/) > [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) ## 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 Block quotes > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [If you do a black character or a female character or an Asian character, then they aren't just that character. They represent that race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/if-you-do-a-black-character-or-a-female-character-or-an-asian/) [Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/) > [Stevie Wonder always smells so good... I'm like a DEA dog, I can smell people a block away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/stevie-wonder-always-smells-so-good-i-m-like-a-dea-dog-i-can-smell/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [When it comes to people I love and care about, I may condense the time, but I'm giving them every ounce of my energy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-shetty/when-it-comes-to-people-i-love-and-care-about-i-may-condense-the-time/) [Jay Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-shetty/) > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... It's the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styles-p/i-mean-family-is-more-important-than-anything-in-life-family-is/) [Styles P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styles-p/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [The family is the building block for whatever solidarity there is in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ruckelshaus/the-family-is-the-building-block-for-whatever-solidarity-there-is-in/) [William Ruckelshaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ruckelshaus/) > [New York is so serious about the creation of work. Everything is happening so fast, it feels like there's another studio, another session on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/new-york-is-so-serious-about-the-creation-of-work-everything-is/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I think you can train yourself to block out some of that pressure and replace it with confidence. It's about preparation, and the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rodgers/i-think-you-can-train-yourself-to-block-out-some-of-that-pressure-and/) [Aaron Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rodgers/) > [Writer's block? I've never heard of a plumber complain about plumber's block.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/writer-s-block-i-ve-never-heard-of-a-plumber-complain-about-plumber-s/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) Browse all 1,755 Block quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This doesn't show that there is anything wrong with our theoretical understanding, any more than the intuition that the Earth is at rest shows that there must be something theoretically wrong with Copernicanism, or the intuition that time is moving shows that there is something theoretically wrong with the block universe 'B series' view of change.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Papineau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything-wrong-with-our-theoretical/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Block" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything-wrong-with-our-theoretical/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/david-papineau-18257_block_this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything_2481821.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/david-papineau-18257_block_this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything_2481821.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/david-papineau-18257_block_this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything_2481821.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This doesn't show that there is anything wrong with our theoretical understanding, any more than the…” — David Papineau", "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": "David Papineau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This doesn't show that there is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything-wrong-with-our-theoretical/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/this-doesn-t-show-that-there-is-anything-wrong-with-our-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 } } ] } ```