Accounts Quote by Ernst Mayr

Science is the process of making obviously erroneous ideas less obviously erroneous.

— Albert Einstein

The incorrectness and weaknesses of a theory cause other minds to formulate the problems more exactly and in this way scientific progress is made.

— Robert Barany

“Where misunderstanding dwells, misuse will not be far behind. No theory in the history of science has been more misused and abused by cranks…

— Sean Carroll

It is generally agreed by philosophers of science that important contributions which have a revolutionary impact on science are often methodologically inadequate, reveal many…

— Hans Eysenck

We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. [This is]…

— Robert Shapiro

If we have a correct theory but merely prate about it, pigeonhole it and do not put it into practice, then that theory, however…

— Mao Zedong

A theory accepted by 99 percent of scientists may be wrong.

— Tom Bethell

If the theory accurately predicts what they [scientists] see, it confirms that it's a good theory. If they see something that the theory didn't…

— Clayton Christensen

If there is something very slightly wrong in our definition of the theories, then the full mathematical rigor may convert these errors into ridiculous…

— Richard P. Feynman

“The same trend is noticeable in the scientific realm: research here is for its own sake far more than for the partial and fragmentary…

— René Guénon

If you claim to have a theory that deduces unexpected consequences from nontrivial principles, let's see it.

— Noam Chomsky

Here's a news flash: scientists can be wrong. That's no big deal (unless the scientist is you), since research is self-correcting. Consequently, most errors…

— Seth Shostak