--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The present writer had occasion, some…" description: "\"“The present writer had occasion, some time ago, to call attention to the succession of layers of \"laws of nature,\" each layer containing more general ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/eugene-wigner-26287_nature_the-present-writer-had-occasion-some-tim_1392430.jpg" --- # The present writer had occasion, some time ago, to call… ![“The present writer had occasion, some time ago, to call attention to the succession of layers of "laws of nature," each layer containing more general and more encompassing laws than the previous one and its discovery constituting a deeper penetration into the structure of the universe than the…” quote by Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/eugene-wigner-26287_nature_the-present-writer-had-occasion-some-tim_1392430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/eugene-wigner-26287_nature_the-present-writer-had-occasion-some-tim_1392430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/eugene-wigner-26287_nature_the-present-writer-had-occasion-some-tim_1392430.jpg) > ““The present writer had occasion, some time ago, to call attention to the succession of layers of "laws of nature," each layer containing more general and more encompassing laws than the previous one and its discovery constituting a deeper penetration into the structure of the universe than the layers recognized before. However, the point which is most significant in the present context is that all these laws of nature contain, in even their remotest consequences, only a small part of our knowledge of the inanimate world. All the laws of nature are conditional statements which permit a prediction of some future events on the basis of the knowledge of the present, except that some aspects of the present state of the world, in practice the overwhelming majority of the determinants of the present state of the world, are irrelevant from the point of view of the prediction.”” [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laws of nature are layered, each broader than the last, but they only capture a tiny fraction of reality; predictions rely on limited relevant factors. **In simple terms:** Scientific laws are limited and conditional. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of models; focus on relevant variables. Themes science knowledge prediction Mood analytical critical Type theoretical educational When to use this quote - research design - policy forecasting - risk assessment - educational curricula Key Concepts hierarchy conditionality incompleteness Questions to Reflect On - What variables are ignored in current models? - How can we improve predictive relevance? A Different Perspective Complex systems may defy simple predictive models. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Knowledge Inanimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-inanimate-1223624/) [Laws Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Conditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-conditional-4857315/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Prediction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prediction/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Universe Layers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-layers-4857316/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Together, "Light and Knowledge" are Inanimate, Intangible, and Inseparable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bailey/together-light-and-knowledge-are-inanimate-intangible-and-inseparable/) [William Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bailey/) > [“The world is not an impediment, it is your ignorance (of the Self) that impedes you. When does ignorance (of the Self) leave? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/the-world-is-not-an-impediment-it-is-your-ignorance-of-the-self-that/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“I may be surprised. But I don't think I will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-strauss/i-may-be-surprised-but-i-don-t-think-i-will-be/) [Andrew Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-strauss/) > [“Conspiracy theory, like causality, works fantastically well as an explanatory model but only if you use it backwards. The fact that we cannot predict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/conspiracy-theory-like-causality-works-fantastically-well-as-an/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [It is hard to predict the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/it-is-hard-to-predict-the-future/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [“During many ages, the prediction, as it is usual, contributed to its own accomplishment. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/during-many-ages-the-prediction-as-it-is-usual-contributed-to-its-own/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. It was the third of Arthur C. Clarke’s three laws of prediction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-chercover/any-sufficiently-advanced-technology-is-indistinguishable-from-magic/) [Sean Chercover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-chercover/) > [It is not predictions but plans that make the future. If you want predictions, it is because you do not have the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/it-is-not-predictions-but-plans-that-make-the-future-if-you-want/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [But I don't think I have any particular talent for prediction, because when you have three or four elements in hand, you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-tabucchi/but-i-don-t-think-i-have-any-particular-talent-for-prediction-because/) [Antonio Tabucchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-tabucchi/) > [It's impossible for us to forecast what's going to happen ten years from now and make a decision today to say what we're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rangel/it-s-impossible-for-us-to-forecast-what-s-going-to-happen-ten-years/) [Charles Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rangel/) > [“Our world is increasingly complex, often chaotic, and always fast-flowing. This makes forecasting something between tremendously difficult and actually impossible, with a strong shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcafee/our-world-is-increasingly-complex-often-chaotic-and-always-fast/) [Andrew McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcafee/) > [“And how did you know about that?” Seven looked at his watch. Chase held up a hand. “Let me guess, in two minutes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-wilder/and-how-did-you-know-about-that-seven-looked-at-his-watch-chase-held/) [Adrienne Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-wilder/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I'm going to make a prediction - it could go either way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-atkinson/i-m-going-to-make-a-prediction-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ron Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-atkinson/) > [The one prediction that never comes true is, 'You'll thank me for telling you this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/the-one-prediction-that-never-comes-true-is-you-ll-thank-me-for/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) ## More by Eugene Wigner > [The enormous usefulness of mathematics in the natural sciences is something bordering on the mysterious and there is no rational explanation of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/the-enormous-usefulness-of-mathematics-in-the-natural-sciences-is/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [There are two kinds of people in the world: Johnny Von Neumann and the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-johnny-von-neumann-and-the/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [It is nice to know that the computer understands the problem. But I would like to understand it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/it-is-nice-to-know-that-the-computer-understands-the-problem-but-i/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [It's nice the know the computer understands the situation, but I would like to understand it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/it-s-nice-the-know-the-computer-understands-the-situation-but-i-would/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [... mathematics is the science of skillful operations with concepts and rules invented just for this purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/mathematics-is-the-science-of-skillful-operations-with-concepts-and/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [The simplicities of natural laws arise through the complexities of the language we use for their expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/the-simplicities-of-natural-laws-arise-through-the-complexities-of/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [Solipsism may be logically consistent with present Quantum Mechanics, Monism in the sense of Materialism is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/solipsism-may-be-logically-consistent-with-present-quantum-mechanics/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [The optimist regards the future as uncertain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/the-optimist-regards-the-future-as-uncertain/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [The full meaning of life, the collective meaning of all human desires, is fundamentally a mystery beyond our grasp. As a young man, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/the-full-meaning-of-life-the-collective-meaning-of-all-human-desires/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [Physics is becoming so unbelievably complex that it is taking longer and longer to train a physicist. It is taking so long, in fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/physics-is-becoming-so-unbelievably-complex-that-it-is-taking-longer/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [When the province of physical theory was extended to encompass microscopic phenomena through the creation of quantum mechanics, the concept of consciousness came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/when-the-province-of-physical-theory-was-extended-to-encompass/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [The great mathematician fully, almost ruthlessly, exploits the domain of permissible reasoning and skirts the impermissible. That his recklessness does not lead him into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/the-great-mathematician-fully-almost-ruthlessly-exploits-the-domain/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [There is no natural phenomenon that is comparable with the sudden and apparently accidentally timed development of science, except perhaps the condensation of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/there-is-no-natural-phenomenon-that-is-comparable-with-the-sudden-and/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [“In science, it is not speed that is the most important. It is the dedication, the commitment, the interest and the will to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/in-science-it-is-not-speed-that-is-the-most-important-it-is-the/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [The miracle of the appropriateness of the language of mathematics for the formulation of the laws of physics is a wonderful gift which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/the-miracle-of-the-appropriateness-of-the-language-of-mathematics-for-2/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) [Explore all 22 Eugene Wigner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) ## More Nature quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/) [Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) [Browse all 47,383 Nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The present writer had occasion, some time ago, to call attention to the succession of layers of \"laws of nature,\" each layer containing more general and more encompassing laws than the previous one and its discovery constituting a deeper penetration into the structure of the universe than the layers recognized before. 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