--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a sense Shapley's telling me that…" description: "\"In a sense Shapley's telling me that space was transparent, which I shouldn't have believed, illustrates a fundamental problem in science, believing wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jesse-l-greenstein-68462_accounts_in-a-sense-shapley-s-telling-me-that-spa_929814.jpg" --- # In a sense Shapley's telling me that space was… ![“In a sense Shapley's telling me that space was transparent, which I shouldn't have believed, illustrates a fundamental problem in science, believing what people tell you. Go and find it out for yourself. That same error has persisted in my life and in many other people's. Authorities are not…” quote by Jesse L. Greenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jesse-l-greenstein-68462_accounts_in-a-sense-shapley-s-telling-me-that-spa_929814.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jesse-l-greenstein-68462_accounts_in-a-sense-shapley-s-telling-me-that-spa_929814.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/jesse-l-greenstein-68462_accounts_in-a-sense-shapley-s-telling-me-that-spa_929814.jpg) > “In a sense Shapley's telling me that space was transparent, which I shouldn't have believed, illustrates a fundamental problem in science, believing what people tell you. Go and find it out for yourself. That same error has persisted in my life and in many other people's. Authorities are not always authorities on everything; they often cling to their own mistakes.” Jesse L. Greenstein ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blind trust in authority can hinder discovery; independent verification is essential for true understanding. **In simple terms:** Question authority and verify yourself. Key Takeaway Cultivate critical thinking. Themes science skepticism authority Mood analytical cautious Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - research projects - education reform - media consumption - policy analysis Key Concepts epistemology critical inquiry Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance trust and doubt? - What steps ensure reliable verification? A Different Perspective Over‑skepticism can lead to cynicism and paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [I don't understand why so many people who are sophisticated in science go on believing in God. I wish I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-don-t-understand-why-so-many-people-who-are-sophisticated-in/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The chief difficulty which prevents men of science from believing in divine as well as in nature Spirits is their materialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-chief-difficulty-which-prevents-men-of-science-from-believing-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The abuse of books kills science. Believing that we know what we have read, we believe that we can dispense with learning it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-abuse-of-books-kills-science-believing-that-we-know-what-we-have/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The fact that it wasn't tells me that we've got a much more fundamental problem of understanding what went wrong, and we've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/the-fact-that-it-wasn-t-tells-me-that-we-ve-got-a-much-more/) [David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/) > [Certainly if the fundamental problem of society is that demands are infinite and resources are always limited, politics, not economics is the master science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/certainly-if-the-fundamental-problem-of-society-is-that-demands-are/) [Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/) > [I have no doubt that the fundamental problem the planet faces is the enormous increase in the human population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-have-no-doubt-that-the-fundamental-problem-the-planet-faces-is-the/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Wherever illiteracy is a problem, it's as fundamental a problem as getting enough to eat or a place to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/wherever-illiteracy-is-a-problem-it-s-as-fundamental-a-problem-as/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [And before I'd got to the end of the first paragraph, I'd come up slap bang against a fundamental problem that still troubles me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-before-i-d-got-to-the-end-of-the-first-paragraph-i-d-come-up-slap/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/) [Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/) > [The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/the-fundamental-problem-of-communication-is-that-of-reproducing-at/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [“So this is a fundamental problem, being out of a loop that I don't even believe in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-othmer/so-this-is-a-fundamental-problem-being-out-of-a-loop-that-i-don-t/) James P. Othmer > [“The fundamental problem has nothing to do with your behavior or your attitude. It has everything to do with having a wrong map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/the-fundamental-problem-has-nothing-to-do-with-your-behavior-or-your/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [The fundamental problem is not that Trump has access to the nuclear launch codes, but that they exist at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/the-fundamental-problem-is-not-that-trump-has-access-to-the-nuclear/) [Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/) > [The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-natural-resources-is-the-fundamental-problem/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-our-natural-resources-and-their-proper-use/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## More by Jesse L. Greenstein > [ In a certain sense I made a living for five or six years out of that one star \[Ï… Sagittarii\] and it is still… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/in-a-certain-sense-i-made-a-living-for-five-or-six-years-out-of-that/) Jesse L. Greenstein > [At the age of three I began to look around my grandfather's library. My first knowledge of astronomy came from reading and looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/at-the-age-of-three-i-began-to-look-around-my-grandfather-s-library/) Jesse L. Greenstein > [Knowing how hard it is to collect a fact, you understand why most people want to have some fun analyzing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/knowing-how-hard-it-is-to-collect-a-fact-you-understand-why-most/) Jesse L. Greenstein Explore all 4 Jesse L. 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But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. 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