--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no need for the scientist to go…" description: "\"There is no need for the scientist to go into whether an observation was made, nor into the who, what, when, or where. The data on which scientific the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/ernest-sosa-12656_data_there-is-no-need-for-the-scientist-to-go_1194369.jpg" --- # There is no need for the scientist to go into whether an… ![“There is no need for the scientist to go into whether an observation was made, nor into the who, what, when, or where. The data on which scientific theorizing is based are rather the propositional contents of the instrument readings recorded, or the facts detected thereby.” quote by Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/ernest-sosa-12656_data_there-is-no-need-for-the-scientist-to-go_1194369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/ernest-sosa-12656_data_there-is-no-need-for-the-scientist-to-go_1194369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/ernest-sosa-12656_data_there-is-no-need-for-the-scientist-to-go_1194369.jpg) > “There is no need for the scientist to go into whether an observation was made, nor into the who, what, when, or where. The data on which scientific theorizing is based are rather the propositional contents of the instrument readings recorded, or the facts detected thereby.” [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific theory should focus on data itself, not on the story behind how the data were gathered. **In simple terms:** Focus on data, not backstory. Key Takeaway Prioritize empirical evidence. Themes epistemology methodology science Mood analytical critical Type philosophical methodological When to use this quote - research design - data analysis - theory building Key Concepts propositional logic instrumentalism Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance data focus with awareness of collection methods? - When does context become essential? A Different Perspective Neglecting context can hide biases in measurement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) ## Related quotes > [The data on which philosophical theorizing is based are rather the intuited contents themselves, concerning the various thought experiments. At least that is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/the-data-on-which-philosophical-theorizing-is-based-are-rather-the/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Natural objects, for example, must be experienced before any theorizing about them can occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-husserl/natural-objects-for-example-must-be-experienced-before-any-theorizing/) [Edmund Husserl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-husserl/) > [An ounce of doing things is worth a pound of theorizing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/an-ounce-of-doing-things-is-worth-a-pound-of-theorizing/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [It is well to fetter the wings of our fancy and restrain its flights. It is quite possible we may have formed entirely erroneous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-e-barnard/it-is-well-to-fetter-the-wings-of-our-fancy-and-restrain-its-flights-2/) [Edward E. Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-e-barnard/) > [“So too with theorizing: the instinct is about staying alive, but the excess is about living. (p.99)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/so-too-with-theorizing-the-instinct-is-about-staying-alive-but-the/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [It started becoming clear to me how one might have views about the nature of mind and of knowledge which are empirically informed. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/it-started-becoming-clear-to-me-how-one-might-have-views-about-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [What is the use of theorizing as to wherein lies the charm that moves us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-vigny/what-is-the-use-of-theorizing-as-to-wherein-lies-the-charm-that-moves/) [Alfred de Vigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-vigny/) > [Theorizing is of course essential to make progress in understanding, but theorizing in the absence of knowing available relevant facts is not very productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-churchland/theorizing-is-of-course-essential-to-make-progress-in-understanding/) [Patricia Churchland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-churchland/) > [I don't like theorizing about my work myself, but that's not to say I have no interest in theory. Other people are free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shrigley/i-don-t-like-theorizing-about-my-work-myself-but-that-s-not-to-say-i/) [David Shrigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shrigley/) > [Some of the best theorizing comes after collecting data because then you become aware of another reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-shiller/some-of-the-best-theorizing-comes-after-collecting-data-because-then/) [Robert J. Shiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-shiller/) > [I don't think anybody's really been successful with theorizing about value or creating a price theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-don-t-think-anybody-s-really-been-successful-with-theorizing-about/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [FACTS = F. Frequently A. Associated C. Calculations T. Theorizing S. Standards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/facts-f-frequently-a-associated-c-calculations-t-theorizing-s/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [This is the perpetual and pitiful tragedy of the practical man in practical affairs. He always begins with a flourish of contempt for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/this-is-the-perpetual-and-pitiful-tragedy-of-the-practical-man-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“There is nothing wrong in theorizing and hypothesizing; a writer is not an escapist, he creates a world he would love to be in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kartik-sharma/there-is-nothing-wrong-in-theorizing-and-hypothesizing-a-writer-is/) Kartik Sharma > [Every bit of theorizing I've ever done, including my interest in Berg, has come as a consequence of discoveries I made as a composer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-perle/every-bit-of-theorizing-i-ve-ever-done-including-my-interest-in-berg/) George Perle ## More by Ernest Sosa > [Philosophers need not much use the word 'intuition' or the concept of intuition, except when they happen to be working on the epistemology of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/philosophers-need-not-much-use-the-word-intuition-or-the-concept-of/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [When you dream, your perceptual (and other) competence is affected. You are then unable to get it right competently with the beliefs in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/when-you-dream-your-perceptual-and-other-competence-is-affected-you/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Ultimately, my more significant agreement is with a virtue tradition that features Aristotle and Descartes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/ultimately-my-more-significant-agreement-is-with-a-virtue-tradition/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [It is bad to want something that not even God could attain, especially when the impossibility becomes obvious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/it-is-bad-to-want-something-that-not-even-god-could-attain-especially/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [I am mainly concerned with unqualified knowledge, by contrast with the varieties of expert knowledge: scientific knowledge of various sorts, legal knowledge, medically expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/i-am-mainly-concerned-with-unqualified-knowledge-by-contrast-with-the/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then fully apt, since it is not only apt but also aptly apt. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/if-a-shot-aimed-at-aptness-succeeds-aptly-it-is-then-fully-apt-since/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [It is also certain that when we assent to some piece of reasoning when our perception of it is lacking, then either we go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/it-is-also-certain-that-when-we-assent-to-some-piece-of-reasoning/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [We need some standard that will determine how likely a belief is to be true given just that it is stored in one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/we-need-some-standard-that-will-determine-how-likely-a-belief-is-to/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Descartes's epistemology is a special case of Aristotle's virtue ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/descartes-s-epistemology-is-a-special-case-of-aristotle-s-virtue/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [There isn't a formal definition of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/there-isn-t-a-formal-definition-of-success/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Success is better than failure; an attempt is a better attempt, it is better as an attempt, if competent than if incompetent; and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/success-is-better-than-failure-an-attempt-is-a-better-attempt-it-is/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Judgment is affirmation with the intention to thereby affirm competently enough, and indeed aptly. That distinguishes judgments from mere guesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/judgment-is-affirmation-with-the-intention-to-thereby-affirm/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Any defense of common sense must allow that it is revisable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/any-defense-of-common-sense-must-allow-that-it-is-revisable/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Given its more substantial aim, a judgment is apt only if its constitutive alethic affirmation is not only apt but aptly apt. The subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/given-its-more-substantial-aim-a-judgment-is-apt-only-if-its/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [We can pursue the Cartesian project without restricting ourselves to theology and a priori faculties. A better, broader perspective is properly sought if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/we-can-pursue-the-cartesian-project-without-restricting-ourselves-to/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) [Explore all 54 Ernest Sosa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) ## More Data quotes > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) Angela Llama-Butler > [“ data analytics consulting Perceptive Analtyics is a data analytic company and a trusted advisor to its clients across domains. Click to know more”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastianmax/data-analytics-consulting-perceptive-analtyics-is-a-data-analytic/) SebastianMax > [The information nation took their clues from all the sound bite gluttons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem/the-information-nation-took-their-clues-from-all-the-sound-bite/) [REM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [But actually theory is very practical. Gravity is a theory, for example. It allows you to predict that if you step off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/but-actually-theory-is-very-practical-gravity-is-a-theory-for-example/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) > [Statistics are like miniskirts: They give you good ideas but hide the important things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebbe-skovdahl/statistics-are-like-miniskirts-they-give-you-good-ideas-but-hide-the/) Ebbe Skovdahl > [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Finding patterns is easy in any kind of data-rich environment; that's what mediocre gamblers do. The key is in determining whether the patterns represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/finding-patterns-is-easy-in-any-kind-of-data-rich-environment-that-s/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [“The amount of stored information grows four times faster than the world economy, while the processing power of computers grows nine times faster. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/the-amount-of-stored-information-grows-four-times-faster-than-the/) [Viktor Mayer-Schönberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/) [Browse all 3,134 Data quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no need for the scientist to go into whether an observation was made, nor into the who, what, when, or where. 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