--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [There] are cases where there is no…" description: "\"[There] are cases where there is no dishonesty involved but where people are tricked into false results by a lack of understanding about what human bei..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/629/irving-langmuir-34598_attention_there-are-cases-where-there-is-no-dishon_1612300.png" --- # \[There\] are cases where there is no dishonesty involved… ![“[There] are cases where there is no dishonesty involved but where people are tricked into false results by a lack of understanding about what human beings can do to themselves in the way of being led astray by subjective effects, wishful thinking or threshold interactions. These are examples of…” quote by Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/629/irving-langmuir-34598_attention_there-are-cases-where-there-is-no-dishon_1612300.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/629/irving-langmuir-34598_attention_there-are-cases-where-there-is-no-dishon_1612300.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/629/irving-langmuir-34598_attention_there-are-cases-where-there-is-no-dishon_1612300.png) > “\[There\] are cases where there is no dishonesty involved but where people are tricked into false results by a lack of understanding about what human beings can do to themselves in the way of being led astray by subjective effects, wishful thinking or threshold interactions. These are examples of pathological science. These are things that attracted a great deal of attention. Usually hundreds of papers have been published upon them. Sometimes they have lasted for fifteen or twenty years and then they gradually die away.” [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People can be misled by wishful thinking and subjective biases, creating false scientific claims that persist until disproved. **In simple terms:** Bias can create false science that lasts years. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and demand rigorous evidence. Themes science bias critical thinking skepticism Mood cautious inquisitive Type analytical skeptical When to use this quote - research funding decisions - peer review - public policy - education curricula Key Concepts psychology epistemology methodology Questions to Reflect On - How do we guard against wishful thinking in research? - What mechanisms cause false ideas to persist? A Different Perspective If evidence is weak, the claim may still gain traction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Cases Dishonesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases-dishonesty-5705449/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Dishonesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonesty/) [Dishonesty Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonesty-involved-6149133/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Examples Pathological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examples-pathological-6149132/) [Fifteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifteen/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Interaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interaction/) [Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involved/) [Lack of understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-of-understanding/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Papers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/papers/) [Pathological Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pathological-science-6149134/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Subjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjective/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Threshold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threshold/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wishful thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishful-thinking/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“I have had a long experience in the compilation of statistics. 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And so the point is to find design strategies that reveal detail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/confusion-and-clutter-are-failures-of-design-not-attributes-of/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) > [When we enlarge our view of the world, we deepen our understanding of our own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/when-we-enlarge-our-view-of-the-world-we-deepen-our-understanding-of/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [“In order to live a meaningful life, humans need answers, i.e., a certain understanding of basic existential questions. These ‘answers’ do not have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-fr-h-svendsen/in-order-to-live-a-meaningful-life-humans-need-answers-i-e-a-certain/) [Lars Fr. H. Svendsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-fr-h-svendsen/) > [“I suspect that if we can build such ultra-intelligent machines, then the first one will be severely limited by the software we’ve written for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/i-suspect-that-if-we-can-build-such-ultra-intelligent-machines-then/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [“By lack of understanding they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/by-lack-of-understanding-they-remained-sane-they-simply-swallowed/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Children perceive frightening ghosts and monsters and dragons and they are terrified. Yet if they ask someone they trust for the meaning of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foundation-for-inner-peace/children-perceive-frightening-ghosts-and-monsters-and-dragons-and/) [Foundation for Inner Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foundation-for-inner-peace/) > [“How was your day?” he asked. I faltered, unaccustomed to the question. The look on my face must have been strange because he laughed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaylynne-spauls/how-was-your-day-he-asked-i-faltered-unaccustomed-to-the-question-the/) [Kaylynne Spauls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaylynne-spauls/) > [“He realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-realized-how-easy-it-was-to-present-an-appearance-of-orthodoxy/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“I sighed, he sighed, the wind and flowers sighed too. I think those marble statues sighed along as well, in their lack of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/i-sighed-he-sighed-the-wind-and-flowers-sighed-too-i-think-those/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) ## More by Irving Langmuir > [Many of the things that have happened in the laboratory have happened in ways it would have been impossible to foresee, but not impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/many-of-the-things-that-have-happened-in-the-laboratory-have-happened/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [Science, almost from its beginnings, has been truly international in character. National prejudices disappear completely in the scientist's search for truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/science-almost-from-its-beginnings-has-been-truly-international-in/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [Only a small part of scientific progress has resulted from planned search for specific objectives. A much more important part has been made possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/only-a-small-part-of-scientific-progress-has-resulted-from-planned/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [The scientist is motivated primarily by curiosity and a desire for truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/the-scientist-is-motivated-primarily-by-curiosity-and-a-desire-for/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [This coupling together of science with international peace, is, I think, particularly significant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/this-coupling-together-of-science-with-international-peace-is-i-think/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [Happy indeed is the scientist who not only has the pleasures which I have enumerated, but who also wins the recognition of fellow scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/happy-indeed-is-the-scientist-who-not-only-has-the-pleasures-which-i/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [To my mind, the most important aspect of the Nobel Awards is that they bring home to the masses of the peoples of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/to-my-mind-the-most-important-aspect-of-the-nobel-awards-is-that-they/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [Train yourselves. Don't wait to be fed knowledge out of a book. Get out and seek it. Make explorations. Do your own research work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/train-yourselves-don-t-wait-to-be-fed-knowledge-out-of-a-book-get-out/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [Medicine also disregards national boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/medicine-also-disregards-national-boundaries/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [History proves abundantly that pure science, undertaken without regard to applications to human needs, is usually ultimately of direct benefit to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/history-proves-abundantly-that-pure-science-undertaken-without-regard/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [A chemist who does not know mathematics is seriously handicapped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/a-chemist-who-does-not-know-mathematics-is-seriously-handicapped/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [And literature frequently rises to heights that make it international.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-langmuir/and-literature-frequently-rises-to-heights-that-make-it-international/) [Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-langmuir/) > [\[In the case of research director, Willis R. 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They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. 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Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[There] are cases where there is no dishonesty involved but where people are tricked into false results by a lack of understanding about what human beings can do to themselves in the way of being led astray by subjective effects, wishful thinking or threshold interactions. These are examples of pathological science. These are things that attracted a great deal of attention. Usually hundreds of papers have been published upon them. 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