--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any work of science, no matter what its…" description: "\"Any work of science, no matter what its point of departure, cannot become fully convincing until it crosses the boundary between the theoretical and th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/gaston-bachelard-2318_argument_any-work-of-science-no-matter-what-its-p_459534.png" --- # Any work of science, no matter what its point of… ![“Any work of science, no matter what its point of departure, cannot become fully convincing until it crosses the boundary between the theoretical and the experimental: Experimentation must give way to argument, and argument must have recourse to experimentation.” quote by Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/gaston-bachelard-2318_argument_any-work-of-science-no-matter-what-its-p_459534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/gaston-bachelard-2318_argument_any-work-of-science-no-matter-what-its-p_459534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/gaston-bachelard-2318_argument_any-work-of-science-no-matter-what-its-p_459534.png) > “Any work of science, no matter what its point of departure, cannot become fully convincing until it crosses the boundary between the theoretical and the experimental: Experimentation must give way to argument, and argument must have recourse to experimentation.” [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific ideas must be tested experimentally; theory and experiment must inform each other. **In simple terms:** Theory needs experiments to be convincing. Key Takeaway Balance theory with testing. Themes science methodology validation Mood analytical inquisitive Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - research projects - product development - policy making Key Concepts empiricism philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - How do you integrate testing? - What limits arise without experiments? A Different Perspective Pure theory without data can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Departure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departure/) [Experimentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experimentation/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [This is often the way it is in physics - our mistake is not that we take our theories too seriously, but that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/this-is-often-the-way-it-is-in-physics-our-mistake-is-not-that-we/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Because of recent improvements in the accuracy of theoretical predictions based on large scale ab initio quantum mechanical calculations, meaningful comparisons between theoretical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuan-t-lee/because-of-recent-improvements-in-the-accuracy-of-theoretical/) [Yuan T. 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