Abandon Quote by Henry Edward Armstrong
“Many will, no doubt, prefer to retain old unsystematic names as far as possible, but it is easy to see that the desire to avoid change may carry us too far in this direction; it will undoubtedly be very inconvenient to the present generation of chemists to abandon familiar and cherished names, but nevertheless it may be a wise course to boldly face the difficulty, rather than inflict on coming generations a partially illogical and unsystematic nomenclature.”
About This Quote
Resisting change in scientific naming hinders progress; embracing new systematic names benefits future generations.
In simple terms: Change names for clarity and future benefit.
Key Takeaway
Adopt systematic nomenclature despite discomfort.
Themes
science
progress
tradition
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
scientific
educational
When to use this quote
- renaming chemical compounds
- updating curricula
- publishing new guidelines
- retraining staff
Key Concepts
taxonomy
communication
standardization
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the long‑term gains of systematic naming?
- How can we ease the shift for current practitioners?
A Different Perspective
Transition may cause short‑term confusion and cost.
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![“[Professor Bragg asserts that] In sodium chloride there appear to be no molecules represented by NaCl. The equality in number of sodium and chlorine atoms is arrived at by a chess-board pattern of these atoms; it is a result of geometry and not of a pairing-off of the atoms.” quote by Henry Edward Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bf5/henry-edward-armstrong-46976_atoms_professor-bragg-asserts-that-in-sodium-c_999839.jpg)
