Arise Quote by Isaac Newton
“Are not all Hypotheses erroneous, in which Light is supposed to consist in Pression or Motion, propagated through a fluid Medium? For in all these Hypotheses the Phaenomena of Light have been hitherto explain'd by supposing that they arise from new Modifications of the Rays; which is an erroneous Supposition.”
About This Quote
Source Letter: "Correspondence on Light," 1675
Rejects outdated theories of light as pressure or motion in a medium, urging new explanations.
In simple terms: Old light theories are wrong; seek better ones.
Key Takeaway
Embrace scientific revision.
Themes
science
philosophy
innovation
Mood
analytical
inquisitive
Type
scientific
philosophical
When to use this quote
- research labs
- academic curricula
- public science communication
Key Concepts
optics
empirical method
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence would convince you of a new theory?
- How do you handle scientific uncertainty?
A Different Perspective
Progress can be slow and contested.
![“Do not Bodies act upon Light at a distance, and by their action bend its Rays; and is not this action (caeteris paribus) [all else being equal] strongest at the least distance?” quote by Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f9c/isaac-newton-1226_action_do-not-bodies-act-upon-light-at-a-distan_90238.jpg)
![“I am ashamed to tell you to how many figures I carried these calculations [of Pi], having no other business at the time” quote by Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/93f/isaac-newton-1226_ashamed_i-am-ashamed-to-tell-you-to-how-many-fig_106544.jpg)
