--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I strongly hold that, if an idea fits…" description: "\"I strongly hold that, if an idea fits with common sense, then scientifically it is almost certain to be false.\" — Lewis Wolpert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/lewis-wolpert-12777_certain_i-strongly-hold-that-if-an-idea-fits-wit_817552.png" --- # I strongly hold that, if an idea fits with common sense… ![“I strongly hold that, if an idea fits with common sense, then scientifically it is almost certain to be false.” quote by Lewis Wolpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/lewis-wolpert-12777_certain_i-strongly-hold-that-if-an-idea-fits-wit_817552.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/lewis-wolpert-12777_certain_i-strongly-hold-that-if-an-idea-fits-wit_817552.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/lewis-wolpert-12777_certain_i-strongly-hold-that-if-an-idea-fits-wit_817552.png) > “I strongly hold that, if an idea fits with common sense, then scientifically it is almost certain to be false.” [Lewis Wolpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-wolpert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas aligning with common sense are often oversimplified; scientific rigor frequently challenges intuitive beliefs. **In simple terms:** Common sense can be misleading scientifically. Key Takeaway Test intuitive ideas with evidence. Themes science critical thinking intuition Mood skeptical analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - research design - policy making - education Key Concepts philosophy of science cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - When should intuition guide inquiry? - How to balance intuition and data? A Different Perspective Intuition sometimes offers valuable hypotheses. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ## Related quotes > [What we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-can-be-scientifically-certain-of-is-that-our-continued-use-of/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Why are there organized beings? Why is there something rather than nothing? Here again, I fully understand a scientist who refuses to ask it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-gilson/why-are-there-organized-beings-why-is-there-something-rather-than/) [Etienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-gilson/) > [That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/that-which-has-always-been-accepted-by-everyone-everywhere-is-almost/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [A universe with a creator would be a totally different kind of universe, scientifically speaking, than one without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/a-universe-with-a-creator-would-be-a-totally-different-kind-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories: those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/objects-can-be-classified-scientifically-into-three-major-categories/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [Scientifically, information is a choice - a yes-or-no choice. 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One day he felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-wolpert/mania-has-been-described-as-having-a-mystical-quality-an-example-of/) [Lewis Wolpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-wolpert/) > [It is not birth, marriage, or death, but gastrulation which is truly the most important time in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-wolpert/it-is-not-birth-marriage-or-death-but-gastrulation-which-is-truly-the/) [Lewis Wolpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-wolpert/) > [There is zero evidence for god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-wolpert/there-is-zero-evidence-for-god/) [Lewis Wolpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-wolpert/) > [Both Newton and Darwin were driven by the data and were forced to recognize that they couldn't explain everything. 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Science tells us how the world is. ... 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