--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The use of method as the criterion of…" description: "\"“The use of method as the criterion of science abolishes theoretical relevance. As a consequence, all propositions concerning facts will be promoted to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/eric-voegelin-27612_relevance_the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-sc_2329826.jpg" --- # The use of method as the criterion of science abolishes… ![“The use of method as the criterion of science abolishes theoretical relevance. As a consequence, all propositions concerning facts will be promoted to the dignity of science, regardless of their relevance, as long as they result from a correct use of method. Since the ocean of facts is infinite, a…” quote by Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/eric-voegelin-27612_relevance_the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-sc_2329826.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/eric-voegelin-27612_relevance_the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-sc_2329826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/eric-voegelin-27612_relevance_the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-sc_2329826.jpg) > ““The use of method as the criterion of science abolishes theoretical relevance. As a consequence, all propositions concerning facts will be promoted to the dignity of science, regardless of their relevance, as long as they result from a correct use of method. Since the ocean of facts is infinite, a prodigious expansion of science in the sociological sense becomes possible, giving employment to scientistic technicians and leading to the fantastic accumulation of irrelevant knowledge through huge “research projects” whose most interesting features is the quantifiable expense that has gone into their production.”” [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Overreliance on method can elevate irrelevant facts to scientific status, inflating knowledge without meaning. **In simple terms:** Method can make irrelevant facts seem scientific. Key Takeaway Prioritize relevance over method alone. Themes science methodology relevance Mood critical analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - research funding decisions - academic publishing - policy making Key Concepts epistemology knowledge inflation Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure research remains meaningful? - What criteria should guide scientific relevance? A Different Perspective Method alone cannot guarantee useful outcomes; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criterion Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criterion-science-5599476/) [Method Criterion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method-criterion-5599475/) [Method Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method-ocean-5599477/) [Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Theoretical Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theoretical-relevance-5599474/) ## Related quotes > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Every love has a poetic relevance of its own; each love brings to light only what to it is relevant. Outside lies the junk-yard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/every-love-has-a-poetic-relevance-of-its-own-each-love-brings-to/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [“We each carry with us unique gifts, recognized and unrecognized. We long to harness those gifts in a way that gives life significance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayes/we-each-carry-with-us-unique-gifts-recognized-and-unrecognized-we/) [Tom Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayes/) > [“Contextualization is about showing the relevance of the gospel, not making the gospel relevant. That’s the essence of contextualization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/contextualization-is-about-showing-the-relevance-of-the-gospel-not/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“Maintaining relevance requires constant redefinition, reframing, ideating, prototyping, and testing of our choices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spitz/maintaining-relevance-requires-constant-redefinition-reframing/) [Roger Spitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spitz/) > [“When you are intense, you will do things persistently and with speed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-you-are-intense-you-will-do-things-persistently-and-with-speed/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Relevance is both an antidote to avoid and a method for driving disruption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spitz/relevance-is-both-an-antidote-to-avoid-and-a-method-for-driving/) [Roger Spitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spitz/) > [“Your net worth depends on your added value”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/your-net-worth-depends-on-your-added-value/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Your intensity increases your productivity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/your-intensity-increases-your-productivity/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [There are only shades of gray. Black and white are nothing more than lofty ideals in our minds, the standards by which we try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/there-are-only-shades-of-gray-black-and-white-are-nothing-more-than/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Set out to correct the world's wrongs and you'll almost certainly wind up adding to them. -- from the TV series "Person of Interest",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-segel-jonathan-nolan/set-out-to-correct-the-world-s-wrongs-and-you-ll-almost-certainly/) [Amanda Segel Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-segel-jonathan-nolan/) > [“Always put your heart into and show commitment in whatever you do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/always-put-your-heart-into-and-show-commitment-in-whatever-you-do/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“A book may be regarded as irrelevant until it's relevance, importance and purpose is discovered through reading”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/a-book-may-be-regarded-as-irrelevant-until-it-s-relevance-importance/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [Certainly being in California has encouraged a sustained commitment to rethinking the nature, purposes, and relevance of the contemporary arts, specifically music, for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/certainly-being-in-california-has-encouraged-a-sustained-commitment/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) ## More by Eric Voegelin > [The death of the spirit is the price of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-death-of-the-spirit-is-the-price-of-progress/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [The experience of a cosmos existing in precarious balance on the edge of emergence from nothing and returning to nothing must be acknowledged, therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-experience-of-a-cosmos-existing-in-precarious-balance-on-the-edge/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“Omul nu este nevoit sa fie partas la greselile epocii in care traieste”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/omul-nu-este-nevoit-sa-fie-partas-la-greselile-epocii-in-care-traieste/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“The public interest has shifted from the nature of man to the nature of nature and to the prospects of domination its exploration opened;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-public-interest-has-shifted-from-the-nature-of-man-to-the-nature/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“The death of the spirit is the price of progress. Nietzsche revealed this mystery of the Western apocalypse when he announced that God was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-death-of-the-spirit-is-the-price-of-progress-nietzsche-revealed/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [Gnostic politics is self-defeating in so far as its disregard for the structure of reality leads to continuous warfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/gnostic-politics-is-self-defeating-in-so-far-as-its-disregard-for-the/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“This system of chain wars can end only in two ways: either it will result in horrible physical destructions and concomitant revolutionary changes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/this-system-of-chain-wars-can-end-only-in-two-ways-either-it-will/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [The constancies and equivalences adumbrated work havoc with such settled topical blocks as myth and philosophy, natural reason and revelation, philosophy and religion, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-constancies-and-equivalences-adumbrated-work-havoc-with-such/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“It caused my opposition to any ideologies—Marxist, Fascist, National Socialist, what you will—because they were incompatible with science in the rational sense of critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/it-caused-my-opposition-to-any-ideologies-marxist-fascist-national/) [eric voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [Christ is the head of the corpus mysticum, which includes all men from the beginning of the world to its end. He is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/christ-is-the-head-of-the-corpus-mysticum-which-includes-all-men-from/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [The problem of an eidos in history, hence, arises only when a Christian transcendental fulfillment becomes immanentized. Such an immanentist hypostasis of the eschaton,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-problem-of-an-eidos-in-history-hence-arises-only-when-a-christian/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [Don't immanentize the eschaton!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/don-t-immanentize-the-eschaton/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“When God is invisible behind the world, the contents of the world will become new gods; when the symbols of transcendent religiosity are banned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/when-god-is-invisible-behind-the-world-the-contents-of-the-world-will/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [The course of history as a whole is no object of experience; history has no eidos, because the course of history extends into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-course-of-history-as-a-whole-is-no-object-of-experience-history/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [ “\[Under Marxism\] Christ the Redeemer is replaced by the steam engine as the promise of the realm to come.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/under-marxism-christ-the-redeemer-is-replaced-by-the-steam-engine-as/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) [Explore all 20 Eric Voegelin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) ## More Relevance quotes > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [“A book may be regarded as irrelevant until it's relevance, importance and purpose is discovered through reading”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/a-book-may-be-regarded-as-irrelevant-until-it-s-relevance-importance/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [“Always put your heart into and show commitment in whatever you do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/always-put-your-heart-into-and-show-commitment-in-whatever-you-do/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Set out to correct the world's wrongs and you'll almost certainly wind up adding to them. -- from the TV series "Person of Interest",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-segel-jonathan-nolan/set-out-to-correct-the-world-s-wrongs-and-you-ll-almost-certainly/) [Amanda Segel Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-segel-jonathan-nolan/) > [There are only shades of gray. Black and white are nothing more than lofty ideals in our minds, the standards by which we try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/there-are-only-shades-of-gray-black-and-white-are-nothing-more-than/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Your intensity increases your productivity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/your-intensity-increases-your-productivity/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Your net worth depends on your added value”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/your-net-worth-depends-on-your-added-value/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Relevance is both an antidote to avoid and a method for driving disruption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spitz/relevance-is-both-an-antidote-to-avoid-and-a-method-for-driving/) [Roger Spitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spitz/) > [“When you are intense, you will do things persistently and with speed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-you-are-intense-you-will-do-things-persistently-and-with-speed/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Maintaining relevance requires constant redefinition, reframing, ideating, prototyping, and testing of our choices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spitz/maintaining-relevance-requires-constant-redefinition-reframing/) [Roger Spitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spitz/) > [“Contextualization is about showing the relevance of the gospel, not making the gospel relevant. That’s the essence of contextualization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/contextualization-is-about-showing-the-relevance-of-the-gospel-not/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“We each carry with us unique gifts, recognized and unrecognized. We long to harness those gifts in a way that gives life significance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayes/we-each-carry-with-us-unique-gifts-recognized-and-unrecognized-we/) [Tom Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayes/) > [Every love has a poetic relevance of its own; each love brings to light only what to it is relevant. Outside lies the junk-yard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/every-love-has-a-poetic-relevance-of-its-own-each-love-brings-to/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [Certainly being in California has encouraged a sustained commitment to rethinking the nature, purposes, and relevance of the contemporary arts, specifically music, for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/certainly-being-in-california-has-encouraged-a-sustained-commitment/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) [Browse all 413 Relevance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The use of method as the criterion of science abolishes theoretical relevance. As a consequence, all propositions concerning facts will be promoted to the dignity of science, regardless of their relevance, as long as they result from a correct use of method. Since the ocean of facts is infinite, a prodigious expansion of science in the sociological sense becomes possible, giving employment to scientistic technicians and leading to the fantastic accumulation of irrelevant knowledge through huge “research projects” whose most interesting features is the quantifiable expense that has gone into their production.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Voegelin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-science-abolishes-theoretical/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Relevance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-science-abolishes-theoretical/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/eric-voegelin-27612_relevance_the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-sc_2329826.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/eric-voegelin-27612_relevance_the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-sc_2329826.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/eric-voegelin-27612_relevance_the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-sc_2329826.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The use of method as the criterion of science abolishes theoretical relevance. As a consequence, all…” — Eric Voegelin", "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": "Eric Voegelin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The use of method as the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-science-abolishes-theoretical/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/the-use-of-method-as-the-criterion-of-science-abolishes-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 } } ] } ```