---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...[P]hysics... [is] the philosophy of…"
description: "\"“...[P]hysics... [is] the philosophy of nature, so far as it is based on empirical laws.”\" — Immanuel Kant"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/immanuel-kant-532_nature_p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so_1557802.jpg"
---

#  ...\[P\]hysics... \[is\] the philosophy of nature, so far as…

![“...[P]hysics... [is] the philosophy of nature, so far as it is based on empirical laws.” quote by Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/immanuel-kant-532_nature_p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so_1557802.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/immanuel-kant-532_nature_p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so_1557802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/immanuel-kant-532_nature_p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so_1557802.jpg)

> ““...\[P\]hysics... \[is\] the philosophy of nature, so far as it is based on empirical laws.””

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Physics is the empirical study of nature, grounded in observable laws, forming a branch of natural philosophy.

**In simple terms:** Physics studies nature through laws.

Key Takeaway

Use empirical evidence to understand nature.

Themes

science empiricism philosophy nature

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical academic

When to use this quote

- Academic research
- education
- policy making
- technology development

Key Concepts

Epistemology metaphysics methodology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do laws shape our view of nature?
- What lies beyond empirical observation?

A Different Perspective

Empirical limits may miss metaphysical aspects.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [ Empirical laws \[...\] have only slight or even no value beyond the limits within which they have been observed to be true. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilfredo-pareto/empirical-laws-have-only-slight-or-even-no-value-beyond-the-limits/)

[Vilfredo Pareto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilfredo-pareto/)

> [“Disclaimer: While Pastafarianism is the only religion based on empirical evidence, it should also be noted that this is a faith-based book. Attentive readers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-henderson/disclaimer-while-pastafarianism-is-the-only-religion-based-on/)

Bobby Henderson

> [Disregard belief systems that aren't based on empirical studies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/disregard-belief-systems-that-aren-t-based-on-empirical-studies/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [ “It is an empirical judgement \[to say\] that I perceive and judge an object with pleasure. But it is an a priori judgement \[to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/it-is-an-empirical-judgement-to-say-that-i-perceive-and-judge-an/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [“the great world, so far as we know it from philosophy of nature, is neither good nor bad, and is not concerned to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-great-world-so-far-as-we-know-it-from-philosophy-of-nature-is/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [The serenity produced by the contemplation and philosophy of nature is the only remedy for prejudice, superstition, and inordinate self-importance, teaching us that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-burbank/the-serenity-produced-by-the-contemplation-and-philosophy-of-nature/)

[Luther Burbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-burbank/)

> [Nature does not teach. A true philosophy may sometimes validate an experience of nature; an experience of nature cannot validate a philosophy. Nature will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nature-does-not-teach-a-true-philosophy-may-sometimes-validate-an/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [He who despises painting has no love for the philosophy in nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/he-who-despises-painting-has-no-love-for-the-philosophy-in-nature/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [ Some philosophers are drawn to the subject \[of philosophy\] via their interest in the nature and structure of the world external to us. Others… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-stanley/some-philosophers-are-drawn-to-the-subject-of-philosophy-via-their/)

Jason Stanley

> [The very hope of experimental philosophy, its expectation of constructing the sciences into a true philosophy of nature, is basedon induction, or, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/the-very-hope-of-experimental-philosophy-its-expectation-of/)

[Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/)

> [Philosophy is by its nature something esoteric, neither made for the mob nor capable of being prepared for the mob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/philosophy-is-by-its-nature-something-esoteric-neither-made-for-the/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [“When experimental psychology limits itself to rats and kittens, squabs and eyelids, philosophy of nature has little opportunity for formation. But when experimental psychology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/when-experimental-psychology-limits-itself-to-rats-and-kittens-squabs/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/)

[Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/)

> [A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. These considerations suggest that not the verifiability but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/a-system-is-empirical-or-scientific-only-if-it-is-capable-of-being/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## More by Immanuel Kant

> [Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/even-if-a-civil-society-were-to-be-dissolved-by-the-consent-of-all/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [How then is perfection to be sought? Wherein lies our hope? In education, and in nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/how-then-is-perfection-to-be-sought-wherein-lies-our-hope-in/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [Heaven has given human beings three things to balance the odds of life: hope, sleep, and laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/heaven-has-given-human-beings-three-things-to-balance-the-odds-of/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [Beauty presents an indeterminate concept of Understanding, the sublime an indeterminate concept of Reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/beauty-presents-an-indeterminate-concept-of-understanding-the-sublime/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [Freedom is that faculty that enlarges the usefulness of all other faculties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/freedom-is-that-faculty-that-enlarges-the-usefulness-of-all-other/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [Philosophical knowledge is the knowledge gained by reason from concepts ; mathematical knowledge is the knowledge gained by reason from the construction of concepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/philosophical-knowledge-is-the-knowledge-gained-by-reason-from/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [A categorical imperative would be one which represented an action as objectively necessary in itself, without reference to any other purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/a-categorical-imperative-would-be-one-which-represented-an-action-as/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [When I could have used a wife, I could not support one; and when I could support one, I no longer needed any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/when-i-could-have-used-a-wife-i-could-not-support-one-and-when-i/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [Enlightenment is the liberation of man from his self-caused state of minority... Supere aude! Dare to use your own understanding!is thus the motto of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/enlightenment-is-the-liberation-of-man-from-his-self-caused-state-of/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [The ideal of the supreme being is nothing but a regulative principle of reason which directs us to look upon all connection in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/the-ideal-of-the-supreme-being-is-nothing-but-a-regulative-principle/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [“Jeg skal alltid handle slik at den regelen jeg handler etter kunne gjelde som allmenn lov.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/jeg-skal-alltid-handle-slik-at-den-regelen-jeg-handler-etter-kunne/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [Deaths, births, and marriages, considering how much they are separately dependent on the freedom of the human will, should seem to be subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/deaths-births-and-marriages-considering-how-much-they-are-separately/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [It is precisely in knowing its limits that philosophy consists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/it-is-precisely-in-knowing-its-limits-that-philosophy-consists/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [A society that is not willing to demand a life of somebody who has taken somebody else’s life is simply immoral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/a-society-that-is-not-willing-to-demand-a-life-of-somebody-who-has/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [. . . as to moral feeling, this supposed special sense, the appeal to it is indeed superficial when those who cannot think believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/as-to-moral-feeling-this-supposed-special-sense-the-appeal-to-it-is/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

[Explore all 476 Immanuel Kant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

## More Empirical quotes

> [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. These considerations suggest that not the verifiability but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/a-system-is-empirical-or-scientific-only-if-it-is-capable-of-being/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/)

[Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/)

> [ \[The aim of science is\] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/the-aim-of-science-is-to-explain-what-so-far-has-taken-to-be-an/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [Investing is not a natural science but rather a social science. So, it's never purely empirical; what you are trying to do is everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-browne/investing-is-not-a-natural-science-but-rather-a-social-science-so-it/)

[William Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-browne/)

> [“Empirical reality becomes nature when we view it with respect to its universal characteristics; it becomes history when we view it as particular and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-nardin/empirical-reality-becomes-nature-when-we-view-it-with-respect-to-its/)

[Terry Nardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-nardin/)

> [The child who has no need to feign empirical knowledge about life can wonder and fantasise with great ease. The world is his oyster,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/the-child-who-has-no-need-to-feign-empirical-knowledge-about-life-can/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [Empirical debunking cannot reach the deepest fear of the reactionary mind, which is that the state - that devouring leviathan - will soon swallow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/empirical-debunking-cannot-reach-the-deepest-fear-of-the-reactionary/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [To define knowledge as merely empirical is to limit one's ability to know; it enfeebles one's ability to feel and think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-define-knowledge-as-merely-empirical-is-to-limit-one-s-ability-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Our empirical criterion for a series of theories is that it should produce new facts. The idea of growth and the concept of empirical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-lakatos/our-empirical-criterion-for-a-series-of-theories-is-that-it-should/)

[Imre Lakatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-lakatos/)

> [Discerning the merits of competing claims is where the empirical basis of science should play a role. I cannot stress often enough that what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/discerning-the-merits-of-competing-claims-is-where-the-empirical/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

> [The ocean is the last frontier of human empirical knowledge; even the contours on that eighth-grader's globe are the product of a mix of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-huffman/the-ocean-is-the-last-frontier-of-human-empirical-knowledge-even-the/)

[Alan Huffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-huffman/)

> [It is generally believed that our science is empirical and that we draw our concepts and our mathematical constructs from the empirical data. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/it-is-generally-believed-that-our-science-is-empirical-and-that-we/)

[Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/)

> [Edison was by far the most successful and, probably, the last exponent of the purely empirical method of investigation. Everything he achieved was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/edison-was-by-far-the-most-successful-and-probably-the-last-exponent/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [ “It is an empirical judgement \[to say\] that I perceive and judge an object with pleasure. But it is an a priori judgement \[to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/it-is-an-empirical-judgement-to-say-that-i-perceive-and-judge-an/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

Browse all 48 Empirical quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...[P]hysics... [is] the philosophy of nature, so far as it is based on empirical laws.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Immanuel Kant"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so-far-as-it-is-based-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Empirical"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so-far-as-it-is-based-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/immanuel-kant-532_nature_p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so_1557802.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/immanuel-kant-532_nature_p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so_1557802.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/immanuel-kant-532_nature_p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so_1557802.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...[P]hysics... [is] the philosophy of nature, so far as it is based on empirical laws.” — Immanuel Kant",
                "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": "Immanuel Kant",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...[P]hysics... [is] the philosophy of nature,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so-far-as-it-is-based-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/p-hysics-is-the-philosophy-of-nature-so-far-as-it-is-based-on/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```