--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The chief contribution of such a…" description: "\"The chief contribution of such a radically new and more powerful instrument would be, not to supplement our present ideas of the universe we live in, b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/lyman-spitzer-83066_chiefs_the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radical_640595.png" --- # The chief contribution of such a radically new and more… ![“The chief contribution of such a radically new and more powerful instrument would be, not to supplement our present ideas of the universe we live in, but rather to uncover new phenomena not yet imagined, and perhaps modify profoundly our basic concepts of space and time.” quote by Lyman Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/lyman-spitzer-83066_chiefs_the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radical_640595.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/lyman-spitzer-83066_chiefs_the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radical_640595.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/lyman-spitzer-83066_chiefs_the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radical_640595.png) > “The chief contribution of such a radically new and more powerful instrument would be, not to supplement our present ideas of the universe we live in, but rather to uncover new phenomena not yet imagined, and perhaps modify profoundly our basic concepts of space and time.” Lyman Spitzer ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advanced tools can reveal phenomena beyond current theories, potentially reshaping fundamental ideas of space and time. **In simple terms:** New instruments reveal unknown phenomena, changing basic concepts. Key Takeaway Invest in powerful tools to expand knowledge. Themes science exploration paradigm shift Mood curious anticipatory Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - astronomical research - particle physics - quantum computing - space missions Key Concepts instrumentation theoretical physics cosmology Questions to Reflect On - What unknown phenomena could transform physics? - How can we balance speculation with evidence? A Different Perspective Technological limits may delay discovery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chiefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space and time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-and-time/) [Supplements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supplements/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time and space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-space/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [At any one time there is a natural tendency among physicists to believe that we already know the essential ingredients of a comprehensive theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-logsdon-fitch/at-any-one-time-there-is-a-natural-tendency-among-physicists-to/) Val Logsdon Fitch > [But mainly I learned, in approaching the measurement of new phenomena, not just to consider using existing apparatus but to allow the mind to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-logsdon-fitch/but-mainly-i-learned-in-approaching-the-measurement-of-new-phenomena/) Val Logsdon Fitch > [I do accept that, with - with respect to those vague terms in the Constitution such as equal protection of the laws, due process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/i-do-accept-that-with-with-respect-to-those-vague-terms-in-the/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [To explain new phenomena, that is my task; and how happy is the scientist when he finds what he so diligently sought, a pleasure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-wilhelm-scheele/to-explain-new-phenomena-that-is-my-task-and-how-happy-is-the/) Carl Wilhelm Scheele > [Our alleged facts might be true in all kinds of ways without contradicting any truth already known. I will dwell now on only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-crookes/our-alleged-facts-might-be-true-in-all-kinds-of-ways-without/) [William Crookes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-crookes/) > [“Neue Phaenomena zu erklären, dieses macht meine Sorgen aus, und wie froh ist der Forscher, wenn er das so fleissig Gesuche findet, eine Ergötzung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-wilhelm-scheele/neue-phaenomena-zu-erkl-ren-dieses-macht-meine-sorgen-aus-und-wie/) Carl Wilhelm Scheele > [Einstein does not remain attached to the classical principles, and when presented with a problem in physics he quickly envisages all of its possibilities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/einstein-does-not-remain-attached-to-the-classical-principles-and/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [Its difficult to do something radically new, unless you are at the heart of a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/its-difficult-to-do-something-radically-new-unless-you-are-at-the/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [It's difficult to do something radically new, unless you are at the heart of a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/it-s-difficult-to-do-something-radically-new-unless-you-are-at-the/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [“Something radically new, the producer tells me. Think Virginia Woolf with dead bodies and car chases.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/something-radically-new-the-producer-tells-me-think-virginia-woolf/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [Because the world is radically new, the ideal encyclopedia should be radical, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-van-doren/because-the-world-is-radically-new-the-ideal-encyclopedia-should-be/) [Charles Van Doren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-van-doren/) > [Before it became a ubiquitous part of urban life, Starbucks was, in most American cities, a radically new idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/before-it-became-a-ubiquitous-part-of-urban-life-starbucks-was-in/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Life as we knew it is passing away, and something new is emerging to take its place, The Gift of Change: Spiritual Guidance for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/life-as-we-knew-it-is-passing-away-and-something-new-is-emerging-to/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“the radically new thing God did was nevertheless the thing he’d always promised,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-radically-new-thing-god-did-was-nevertheless-the-thing-he-d/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [You've had a whole lot of experience, but everything is also radically new at each moment, and you have to bring a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/you-ve-had-a-whole-lot-of-experience-but-everything-is-also-radically/) [Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/) ## More by Lyman Spitzer > [Astronomy may be revolutionized more than any other field of science by observations from above the atmosphere. Study of the planets, the Sun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-spitzer/astronomy-may-be-revolutionized-more-than-any-other-field-of-science/) Lyman Spitzer > [Our knowledge of stars and interstellar matter must be based primarily on the electromagnetic radiation which reaches us. Nature has thoughtfully provided us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-spitzer/our-knowledge-of-stars-and-interstellar-matter-must-be-based/) Lyman Spitzer Explore all 3 Lyman Spitzer quotes ## More Chiefs quotes > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-chief-wonder-of-education-is-that-it-does-not-ruin-everybody/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Las Vegas is a resort whose two chief sources of income are seven and eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/las-vegas-is-a-resort-whose-two-chief-sources-of-income-are-seven-and/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [There is no one force, no group, and no class that is the preserver of liberty. Liberty is preserved by those who are against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/there-is-no-one-force-no-group-and-no-class-that-is-the-preserver-of/) [James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/) > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [There is a wealth of unexpressed love in the world. It is one of the chief causes of sorrow evoked by death: what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hopkins/there-is-a-wealth-of-unexpressed-love-in-the-world-it-is-one-of-the/) Arthur Hopkins > [Pure love is the chief manifestation of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/pure-love-is-the-chief-manifestation-of-education/) [Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/) > [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [No commander in chief would ever say, 'I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/no-commander-in-chief-would-ever-say-i-m-not-going-to-listen-to-the/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. Let's go to North Africa, she was the chief engineer of the disastrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-m-going-to-be-specific-so-you-can-render-your-verdict-let-s-go-to/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [...virtue is attended by more peace of mind than vice, and meets with a more favourable reception from the world. I am sensible, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-is-attended-by-more-peace-of-mind-than-vice-and-meets-with-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) [Browse all 1,428 Chiefs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The chief contribution of such a radically new and more powerful instrument would be, not to supplement our present ideas of the universe we live in, but rather to uncover new phenomena not yet imagined, and perhaps modify profoundly our basic concepts of space and time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lyman Spitzer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-spitzer/the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radically-new-and-more-powerful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chiefs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-spitzer/the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radically-new-and-more-powerful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/lyman-spitzer-83066_chiefs_the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radical_640595.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/lyman-spitzer-83066_chiefs_the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radical_640595.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/lyman-spitzer-83066_chiefs_the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radical_640595.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The chief contribution of such a radically new and more powerful instrument would be, not to supplement our…” — Lyman Spitzer", "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": "Lyman Spitzer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-spitzer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The chief contribution of such a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-spitzer/the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radically-new-and-more-powerful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-spitzer/the-chief-contribution-of-such-a-radically-new-and-more-powerful/#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 } } ] } ```