Certain Quote by G. H. Hardy
“I am obliged to interpolate some remarks on a very difficult subject: proof and its importance in mathematics. All physicists, and a good many quite respectable mathematicians, are contemptuous about proof. I have heard Professor Eddington, for example, maintain that proof, as pure mathematicians understand it, is really quite uninteresting and unimportant, and that no one who is really certain that he has found something good should waste his time looking for proof.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Proof, 1940
Proof is undervalued in physics and some mathematics, yet it is essential for certainty.
In simple terms: Proof gives confidence in results.
Key Takeaway
Respect and seek rigorous proof.
Themes
mathematics
physics
proof
certainty
Mood
analytical
serious
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- research
- education
- peer review
Key Concepts
philosophy of science
logic
rigor
Questions to Reflect On
- How does proof influence scientific progress?
- When is proof less critical?
A Different Perspective
Some fields prioritize intuition over proof.
![“They [formulae 1.10 - 1.12 of Ramanujan] must be true because, if they were not true, no one would have had the imagination to invent them.” quote by G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/360/g-h-hardy-8763_being-true_they-formulae-1-10-1-12-of-ramanujan-mus_364964.jpg)
