Science Quote by Dennis Flanagan
![“Science is what scientists do, not what nonscientists think they do or ought to be doing. Wetenschap is wat wetenschappers doen. [Flanagan's motto as magazine editor for selecting content to put in Scientific American.]” quote by Dennis Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c7f/dennis-flanagan-49623_science_science-is-what-scientists-do-not-what-n_1130540.jpg)
““Science is what scientists do, not what nonscientists think they do or ought to be doing. Wetenschap is wat wetenschappers doen. [Flanagan's motto as magazine editor for selecting content to put in Scientific American.]””
About This Quote
Source Magazine: Scientific American, editorial motto
Science is defined by practitioners, not by lay expectations or obligations.
In simple terms: Science is what scientists do.
Key Takeaway
Respect expertise.
Themes
science
expertise
public perception
Mood
informative
serious
Type
statement
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- policy making
- media reporting
Key Concepts
epistemology
communication
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we bridge the gap between scientists and the public?
- What responsibilities do scientists have in communication?
A Different Perspective
Public misconceptions can hinder scientific progress.
![“They [scientists of centuries past] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations, however, God gets hardly a mention.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b0/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_century_they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-o_12921.jpg)
![“Although such research [into the paranormal] has yet to produce anything in the way of a repeatable controlled experiment, its practitioners argue that its revolutionary potentialities justify its continuation. My own feeling is that after a century of total failure it has become a bloody bore.” quote by Dennis Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/841/dennis-flanagan-49623_arguing_although-such-research-into-the-paranorm_351324.jpg)
