--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No human investigation can claim to be…" description: "\"No human investigation can claim to be scientific if it doesn't pass the test of mathematical proof.\" — Leonardo da Vinci" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/leonardo-da-vinci-330_certainty_no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-s_2923991.jpg" --- # No human investigation can claim to be scientific if it… ![“No human investigation can claim to be scientific if it doesn't pass the test of mathematical proof.” quote by Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/leonardo-da-vinci-330_certainty_no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-s_2923991.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/leonardo-da-vinci-330_certainty_no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-s_2923991.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/leonardo-da-vinci-330_certainty_no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-s_2923991.jpg) > “No human investigation can claim to be scientific if it doesn't pass the test of mathematical proof.” [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific claims must be verifiable through mathematical proof to be considered truly scientific. **In simple terms:** Science requires proof to be credible. Key Takeaway Demand rigorous proof for scientific claims. Themes science philosophy methodology Mood skeptical inquisitive Type philosophical methodological When to use this quote - research design - peer review - academic publishing - policy making Key Concepts mathematical proof empiricism falsifiability Questions to Reflect On - What role should empirical evidence play alongside mathematical proof? - When is a non‑mathematical approach acceptable? A Different Perspective Proof alone may not capture all aspects of complex phenomena. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Claim Scientific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claim-scientific-3638849/) [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [Human Investigation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-investigation-3608014/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Investigation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investigation/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Mathematical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematical/) [Mathematical proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematical-proof/) [Ontology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ontology/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Reasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasoning/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific/) [Scientific Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-doesn-4276228/) [Test Mathematical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test-mathematical-4276229/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) ## Related quotes > [No human investigation can be called real science if it cannot be demonstrated mathematically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/no-human-investigation-can-be-called-real-science-if-it-cannot-be/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“One attempt to avoid the problem of induction involves weakening the demand that scientific knowledge be proven true, and resting content with the claim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-f-chalmers/one-attempt-to-avoid-the-problem-of-induction-involves-weakening-the/) [Alan F. Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-f-chalmers/) > [Astronomy is one of the sublimest fields of human investigation. The mind that grasps its facts and principles receives something of the enlargement and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/astronomy-is-one-of-the-sublimest-fields-of-human-investigation-the/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [He who does not understand the supreme certainty of mathematics is wallowing in confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/he-who-does-not-understand-the-supreme-certainty-of-mathematics-is/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Mathematics is not a deductive science, that's a cliché ... What you do is trial and error, experimentation, guesswork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-halmos/mathematics-is-not-a-deductive-science-that-s-a-clich-what-you-do-is/) [Paul Halmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-halmos/) > [The blockchain does one thing: It replaces third-party trust with mathematical proof that something happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/the-blockchain-does-one-thing-it-replaces-third-party-trust-with/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [A mathematical proof must be perspicuous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/a-mathematical-proof-must-be-perspicuous/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/when-you-can-measure-what-you-are-speaking-about-and-express-it-in/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [It is my experience that proofs involving matrices can be shortened by 50% if one throws the matrices out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-artin/it-is-my-experience-that-proofs-involving-matrices-can-be-shortened/) [Emil Artin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-artin/) > [Mathematical proofs, like diamonds, are hard and clear, and will be touched with nothing but strict reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/mathematical-proofs-like-diamonds-are-hard-and-clear-and-will-be/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [Don't just read it; fight it! Ask your own question, look for your own examples, discover your own proofs. Is the hypothesis necessary? Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-halmos/don-t-just-read-it-fight-it-ask-your-own-question-look-for-your-own/) [Paul Halmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-halmos/) > [Besides it is an error to believe that rigour is the enemy of simplicity. On the contrary we find it confirmed by numerous examples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/besides-it-is-an-error-to-believe-that-rigour-is-the-enemy-of/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [What a mathematical proof actually does is show that certain conclusions, such as the irrationality of , follow from certain premises, such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/what-a-mathematical-proof-actually-does-is-show-that-certain/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [There was, I think, a feeling that the best science was that done in the simplest way. In experimental work, as in mathematics, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashworth-ratcliffe/there-was-i-think-a-feeling-that-the-best-science-was-that-done-in/) [John Ashworth Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashworth-ratcliffe/) > [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More by Leonardo da Vinci > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nothing can be love or hated unless it is first known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nothing-can-be-love-or-hated-unless-it-is-first-known/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning one against the other, make a strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/an-arch-consists-of-two-weaknesses-which-leaning-one-against-the/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [But to me all sciences seem vain and full of error that are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, and do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/but-to-me-all-sciences-seem-vain-and-full-of-error-that-are-not-born/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“Time stays long enough for those who use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/time-stays-long-enough-for-those-who-use-it/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Your brain is much better than you think; just use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/your-brain-is-much-better-than-you-think-just-use-it/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Necessity is a guardian in Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/necessity-is-a-guardian-in-nature/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/human-subtlety-will-never-devise-an-invention-more-beautiful-more/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/people-reveal-themselves-completely-only-when-they-are-thrown-out-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [To be a winner you must want to win but must know of the chance of losing and must not fear of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/to-be-a-winner-you-must-want-to-win-but-must-know-of-the-chance-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nature is so delightful and abundant in its variations that among trees of the same kind there would not be found one which nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nature-is-so-delightful-and-abundant-in-its-variations-that-among/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Wisdom is the daughter of experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/wisdom-is-the-daughter-of-experience/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) [Explore all 664 Leonardo da Vinci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No human investigation can claim to be scientific if it doesn't pass the test of mathematical proof.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonardo da Vinci" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-scientific-if-it-doesn-t-pass/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certainty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-scientific-if-it-doesn-t-pass/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/leonardo-da-vinci-330_certainty_no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-s_2923991.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/leonardo-da-vinci-330_certainty_no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-s_2923991.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/leonardo-da-vinci-330_certainty_no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-s_2923991.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No human investigation can claim to be scientific if it doesn't pass the test of mathematical proof.” — Leonardo da Vinci", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leonardo da Vinci", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No human investigation can claim to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-scientific-if-it-doesn-t-pass/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/no-human-investigation-can-claim-to-be-scientific-if-it-doesn-t-pass/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```