--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The limits of science have always been…" description: "\"“The limits of science have always been the source of bitter disappointment when people expected something from science that it was not able to provide..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/karl-jaspers-11518_science_the-limits-of-science-have-always-been-t_788439.jpg" --- # The limits of science have always been the source of… ![“The limits of science have always been the source of bitter disappointment when people expected something from science that it was not able to provide. Take the following examples: a man without faith seeking to find in science a substitute for his faith on which to build his life; a man…” quote by Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/karl-jaspers-11518_science_the-limits-of-science-have-always-been-t_788439.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/karl-jaspers-11518_science_the-limits-of-science-have-always-been-t_788439.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/karl-jaspers-11518_science_the-limits-of-science-have-always-been-t_788439.jpg) > ““The limits of science have always been the source of bitter disappointment when people expected something from science that it was not able to provide. Take the following examples: a man without faith seeking to find in science a substitute for his faith on which to build his life; a man unsatisfied by philosophy seeking an all-embracing universal truth in science; a spiritually shallow person growing aware of his own futility in the course of engaging in the endless reflections imposed by science. In every one of these cases, science begins as an object of blind idolatry and ends up as an object of hatred and contempt. Disenchantment inevitably follows upon these and similar misconceptions. One question remains: What value can science possibly have when its limitations have become so painfully clear?”” [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science cannot fulfill existential or spiritual needs; its limits cause disappointment when people expect it to replace faith or philosophy. **In simple terms:** Science has limits and cannot answer all life questions. Key Takeaway Recognize science’s scope and seek meaning elsewhere. Themes science philosophy faith disappointment human limits Mood reflective thoughtful philosophical Type analytical inquisitive When to use this quote - personal crisis - religious questioning - academic discourse - public skepticism - policy making Key Concepts epistemology existentialism nihilism Questions to Reflect On - What role should science play in personal meaning? - Can faith and science coexist without conflict? A Different Perspective Science alone cannot satisfy all human yearning; other domains are needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind Idolatry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-idolatry-6061206/) [Contempt Disenchantment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt-disenchantment-6061205/) [Limits Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits-science-1007697/) [Man U](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-u/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Spiritually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-spiritually-6061207/) [Seeking Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking-science-6061208/) [Shallow person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallow-person/) [Universal truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal-truth/) ## Related quotes > [It is clear that while science provides insights into the complexity of the world around us, those insights...present a fractured mosaic rather than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/it-is-clear-that-while-science-provides-insights-into-the-complexity/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [But probably every age gets, within certain limits, the science it deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-probably-every-age-gets-within-certain-limits-the-science-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think you can impose limits on science because the very nature of homo sapiens is that he - she - is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/i-don-t-think-you-can-impose-limits-on-science-because-the-very/) [Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/) > [Cosmologists have attempted to account for the day-to-day laws you find in textbooks in terms of fundamental 'superlaws,' but the superlaws themselves must still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/cosmologists-have-attempted-to-account-for-the-day-to-day-laws-you/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [There are no limits to what science can explore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-solvay/there-are-no-limits-to-what-science-can-explore/) [Ernest Solvay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-solvay/) > [“If you’re such a shallow person that a goddamn bumper sticker can sum up your beliefs, then Jesus Christ, are you even worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-myers/if-you-re-such-a-shallow-person-that-a-goddamn-bumper-sticker-can-sum/) [Jason Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-myers/) > [My great fear is that I'm the ultimate shallow person. 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Shallow persons such as me hide their insecurities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/narcissistic-pleasure-seekers-routinely-avoid-developing-the-humility/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Demeter and Skotos are exactly the same as each other. It’s like one shallow person split into two bodies. How is that going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darinne-paciotti/demeter-and-skotos-are-exactly-the-same-as-each-other-it-s-like-one/) [Darinne Paciotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darinne-paciotti/) > [It's hard to tell a shallow person that they should care more about the feelings of the awkward and the alienated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/it-s-hard-to-tell-a-shallow-person-that-they-should-care-more-about/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [I am going to get political on you. Because I am the most shallow person in the world, my mission is to see men's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cojocaru/i-am-going-to-get-political-on-you-because-i-am-the-most-shallow/) [Steven Cojocaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cojocaru/) ## More by Karl Jaspers > [The more determinedly I exist, as myself, within the conditions of the time, the more clearly I shall hear the language of the past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/the-more-determinedly-i-exist-as-myself-within-the-conditions-of-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [Nietzsche's ideas and plans: for example, the idea of giving up the whole wretched academic world to form a secular monastic community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/nietzsche-s-ideas-and-plans-for-example-the-idea-of-giving-up-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [What is meaningful cannot in fact be isolated…. 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The intimate relationship between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/the-socratic-teacher-turns-his-students-away-from-himself-and-back/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [What makes us afraid is our great freedom in the face of the emptiness that has still to be filled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/what-makes-us-afraid-is-our-great-freedom-in-the-face-of-the/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [To decide to become a philosopher seemed as foolish to me as to decide to become a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/to-decide-to-become-a-philosopher-seemed-as-foolish-to-me-as-to/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [Philosophy is tested and characterised by the way in which it appropriates its history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/philosophy-is-tested-and-characterised-by-the-way-in-which-it/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [“Tragedy occurs whenever awareness exceeds power; and particularly where awareness of a major need exceeds the power to satisfy it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/tragedy-occurs-whenever-awareness-exceeds-power-and-particularly/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [There is no God, cry the masses more and more vociferously; and with the loss of God man loses his sense of values —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/there-is-no-god-cry-the-masses-more-and-more-vociferously-and-with/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [The Greek word for philosopher (philosophos) connotes a distinction from sophos. 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