--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The basic idea of Western science is that…" description: "\"The basic idea of Western science is that you don't have to take into account the falling of a leaf on some planet in another galaxy when you're trying..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/james-gleick-2623_accounts_the-basic-idea-of-western-science-is-tha_324837.jpg" --- # The basic idea of Western science is that you don't have… ![“The basic idea of Western science is that you don't have to take into account the falling of a leaf on some planet in another galaxy when you're trying to account for the motion of a billiard ball on a pool table on earth. Very small influences can be neglected. There's a convergence in the way…” quote by James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/james-gleick-2623_accounts_the-basic-idea-of-western-science-is-tha_324837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/james-gleick-2623_accounts_the-basic-idea-of-western-science-is-tha_324837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/james-gleick-2623_accounts_the-basic-idea-of-western-science-is-tha_324837.jpg) > “The basic idea of Western science is that you don't have to take into account the falling of a leaf on some planet in another galaxy when you're trying to account for the motion of a billiard ball on a pool table on earth. Very small influences can be neglected. There's a convergence in the way things work, and arbitrarily small influences don't blow up to have arbitrarily large effects.” [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science models ignore negligible effects to simplify analysis, assuming small factors won’t cause large outcomes. **In simple terms:** Ignore tiny influences for practical predictions. Key Takeaway Use simplifications wisely. Themes science modeling reductionism precision Mood thoughtful educational Type philosophical explanatory When to use this quote - physics experiments - engineering design - data analysis - policy modeling Key Concepts scale negligibility determinism Questions to Reflect On - When can tiny factors become significant? - How do you decide what to ignore? A Different Perspective Extreme simplifications may miss critical rare events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Convergence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convergence/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxy/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Pool table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pool-table/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [In a lot of Western science fiction, you need some form of conflict, whether it's aliens or robots. I think in Western culture, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-breazeal/in-a-lot-of-western-science-fiction-you-need-some-form-of-conflict/) [Cynthia Breazeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-breazeal/) > [Acceptance without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western religion, rejection without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/acceptance-without-proof-is-the-fundamental-characteristic-of-western/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Was America really founded on Middle Eastern lies, and if it was, isn't it about time it was refounded on Western science fact?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-fowler/was-america-really-founded-on-middle-eastern-lies-and-if-it-was-isn-t/) [Steve Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-fowler/) > [“Perhaps the day will come when Western science is able to confirm the existence of immaterial forces and realms. 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Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [“Shamanism explores an area that contemporary Western science knows little about- the mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-miller-weisberger/shamanism-explores-an-area-that-contemporary-western-science-knows/) [Jonathon Miller Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-miller-weisberger/) > [Western science is a product of the Apollonian mind: its hope is that by naming and classification, by the cold light of intellect, archaic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/western-science-is-a-product-of-the-apollonian-mind-its-hope-is-that/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“In reading Western science fiction, Chinese readers discover the fears and hopes of Man, the modern Prometheus, for his destiny, which is also his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xia-jia/in-reading-western-science-fiction-chinese-readers-discover-the-fears/) Xia Jia ## More by James Gleick > [When the Lilliputians first saw Gulliver's watch, that "wonderful kind of engine...a globe, half silver and half of some transparent metal," they identified it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/when-the-lilliputians-first-saw-gulliver-s-watch-that-wonderful-kind/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. 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