--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not…" description: "\"“Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not distorting (tergiversare) the subject, but educating the public; and it is our duty as scientists to educate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/felix-alba-juez-19702_education_teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not_1703068.jpg" --- # Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not distorting… ![“Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not distorting (tergiversare) the subject, but educating the public; and it is our duty as scientists to educate without distorting the essence of the scientific knowledge attained by humanity. The future of our society depends upon this premise.” quote by Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/felix-alba-juez-19702_education_teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not_1703068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/felix-alba-juez-19702_education_teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not_1703068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/felix-alba-juez-19702_education_teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not_1703068.jpg) > ““Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not distorting (tergiversare) the subject, but educating the public; and it is our duty as scientists to educate without distorting the essence of the scientific knowledge attained by humanity. The future of our society depends upon this premise.”” [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientists must share knowledge clearly without altering its core truth, as societal progress relies on accurate public understanding. **In simple terms:** Share science honestly. Key Takeaway Educate clearly, avoid distortion. Themes education responsibility science communication Mood thoughtful serious Type educational ethical When to use this quote - school outreach - media interviews - policy briefings - community workshops Key Concepts public understanding ethical communication knowledge dissemination Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance simplicity and accuracy? - What mechanisms ensure truthful dissemination? A Different Perspective Complex topics may be oversimplified unintentionally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Educate Distorting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educate-distorting-1168503/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Layperson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layperson-1168502/) [Layperson Divulgare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/layperson-divulgare-1168499/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-knowledge/) [Scientists Educate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists-educate-1168501/) [Teaching Layperson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching-layperson-1168500/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a layperson. I barely got out of high school. I have no business telling people what to do or my big philosophy on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-m-a-layperson-i-barely-got-out-of-high-school-i-have-no-business/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [Contrary to current cynicism about past golden ages, the abstraction known as 'the intelligent layperson' does exist - in the form of millions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contrary-to-current-cynicism-about-past-golden-ages-the-abstraction/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I am not a doctor or a scientist, but merely a passionate layperson, a filter, a messenger. I spoke with so many patients who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/i-am-not-a-doctor-or-a-scientist-but-merely-a-passionate-layperson-a/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [Laypeople are a kind of nuclear energy in the Church on a spiritual level. A layperson caught up with the gospel and living next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raniero-cantalamessa/laypeople-are-a-kind-of-nuclear-energy-in-the-church-on-a-spiritual/) [Raniero Cantalamessa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raniero-cantalamessa/) > [“Human society should very seriously understand that the body itself is the source of all miserable life. Modern civilization is supposed to be making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/human-society-should-very-seriously-understand-that-the-body-itself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted, in the real sense, by science, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/to-be-sure-the-doctrine-of-a-personal-god-interfering-with-natural/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“The truly apocalyptic view of the world is that things do not repeat themselves. It isn’t absurd, e.g., to believe that the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/the-truly-apocalyptic-view-of-the-world-is-that-things-do-not-repeat/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [“As I see it the world is undoubtedly in need of a new religion, and that religion must be founded on humanist principles. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/as-i-see-it-the-world-is-undoubtedly-in-need-of-a-new-religion-and/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation speaks for itself. (Which is not to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories-have-a-fine-track-record-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [“Science can now help us to understand ourselves in this way by giving factual information about brain structure and function, and how the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/science-can-now-help-us-to-understand-ourselves-in-this-way-by-giving/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“To the point: A woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy has to make her decision in the context of a culture that shames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-parker/to-the-point-a-woman-who-wants-to-terminate-her-pregnancy-has-to-make/) [Willie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-parker/) > [“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-methodology-is-the-product-of/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“If my duty to my parents is a superstition, then so is my duty to posterity. If justice is a superstition, then so is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-my-duty-to-my-parents-is-a-superstition-then-so-is-my-duty-to/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/science-is-not-marginal-like-art-it-is-a-universal-possession-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Felix Alba-Juez > [“Why is it so difficult for us to think in relative terms? Well, for the good reason that human nature loves absoluteness, and erroneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/why-is-it-so-difficult-for-us-to-think-in-relative-terms-well-for-the/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“The past and the future are not a collection of instants shared by all space, but a collection of events that correspond to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-past-and-the-future-are-not-a-collection-of-instants-shared-by/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“The universal character of the centrifugal forces leaves us impotent as to discern whether what is going on inside the carrousel is because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-universal-character-of-the-centrifugal-forces-leaves-us-impotent/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“It is curious that the human mind could blindly accept an infinite speed but had reservations to accept a finite one, simply because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/it-is-curious-that-the-human-mind-could-blindly-accept-an-infinite/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“The command of our language is crucial to focusing our thoughts and communicating them with precision to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-command-of-our-language-is-crucial-to-focusing-our-thoughts-and/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“The existence of both ( electron and pebble ) depends upon the context created by our thoughts, our language, our theories, and our interaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-existence-of-both-electron-and-pebble-depends-upon-the-context/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“It is worth noting that a wrong folkoric definition of an Inertial Frame in the Popular Science literature (even in text books) reads that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/it-is-worth-noting-that-a-wrong-folkoric-definition-of-an-inertial/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“The objective and merit of Einstein's theory is to identify those physical magnitudes which are absolute, i.e. common for all Inertial Frames, distinguishing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-objective-and-merit-of-einstein-s-theory-is-to-identify-those/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“When we say two bodies 'touch', what we mean (without knowing it) is that both electromagnetic fields are interacting to avoid physical interpenetration and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/when-we-say-two-bodies-touch-what-we-mean-without-knowing-it-is-that/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“So strong was the preconception of absolute space and time in the scientific mentality of those days, that Lorentz did not realize the grand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/so-strong-was-the-preconception-of-absolute-space-and-time-in-the/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“Both space and time are metrically amorphous, i.e. they do not have - despite how strongly we believe so - an inherent metric which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/both-space-and-time-are-metrically-amorphous-i-e-they-do-not-have/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“Subjectivity is strange to Science, while Relativity is an objective part of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/subjectivity-is-strange-to-science-while-relativity-is-an-objective/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“It is not the reverence for words, but for their meaning that determines our deepness of comprehension of a given assertion about Nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/it-is-not-the-reverence-for-words-but-for-their-meaning-that/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“The present is not an instant shared by all space, but an event, i.e. an instant at a place in space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/the-present-is-not-an-instant-shared-by-all-space-but-an-event-i-e-an/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [“Without causality in the world, there is no point in educating people, or making any moral or political appeal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/without-causality-in-the-world-there-is-no-point-in-educating-people/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) [Explore all 32 Felix Alba-Juez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) [Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) [H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not distorting (tergiversare) the subject, but educating the public; and it is our duty as scientists to educate without distorting the essence of the scientific knowledge attained by humanity. The future of our society depends upon this premise.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Felix Alba-Juez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not-distorting-tergiversare-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not-distorting-tergiversare-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/felix-alba-juez-19702_education_teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not_1703068.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/felix-alba-juez-19702_education_teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not_1703068.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/felix-alba-juez-19702_education_teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not_1703068.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not distorting (tergiversare) the subject, but educating the public…” — Felix Alba-Juez", "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": "Felix Alba-Juez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Teaching the layperson (divulgare) is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not-distorting-tergiversare-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/teaching-the-layperson-divulgare-is-not-distorting-tergiversare-the/#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 } } ] } ```