---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The negative cautions of science are…"
description: "\"The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the social philosopher, the preacher, and the peda..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/margaret-mead-982_answers_the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-nev_1460927.jpg"
---

#  The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the…

![“The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the social philosopher, the preacher, and the pedagogue tried the harder to give a short-cut answer.” quote by Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/margaret-mead-982_answers_the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-nev_1460927.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/margaret-mead-982_answers_the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-nev_1460927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/margaret-mead-982_answers_the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-nev_1460927.jpg)

> “The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the social philosopher, the preacher, and the pedagogue tried the harder to give a short-cut answer.”

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Science often avoids unpopular truths; without bold experiments, philosophers and teachers chase easy answers.

**In simple terms:** Science can shy away from hard truths.

Key Takeaway

Encourage daring experiments.

Themes

science philosophy education

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

academic philosophical

When to use this quote

- research labs
- policy making
- public discourse

Key Concepts

critical thinking risk taking

Questions to Reflect On

- What unpopular truth might science ignore?
- How can we balance caution and boldness?

A Different Perspective

Risk of oversimplifying complex issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Caution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caution/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Preacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preacher/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Short cuts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-cuts/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/)

## Related quotes

> [The negative cautions of science are never popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-never-popular/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Brain science will be the most popular science of the early twenty-first century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/brain-science-will-be-the-most-popular-science-of-the-early-twenty/)

[Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/)

> [To attempt to commit the Church to social and political programs may be a short cut . . to escape from the more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-oldham/to-attempt-to-commit-the-church-to-social-and-political-programs-may/)

[J. H. Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-oldham/)

> [It's frustrating - not that I expect to be the same person I was 10 years ago, but I do expect to do certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-swoopes/it-s-frustrating-not-that-i-expect-to-be-the-same-person-i-was-10/)

[Sheryl Swoopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-swoopes/)

> [It is simply that in all life on earth as in all good agriculture there are no short-cuts that by-pass Nature and the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-bromfield/it-is-simply-that-in-all-life-on-earth-as-in-all-good-agriculture/)

[Louis Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-bromfield/)

> [“Among the many short cuts to science, we badly need someone to teach us the art of learning with difficulty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/among-the-many-short-cuts-to-science-we-badly-need-someone-to-teach/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [Poetry forces a writer to condense and crystallise his thoughts and often represents a short cut to truths unsuspected by the author himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/poetry-forces-a-writer-to-condense-and-crystallise-his-thoughts-and/)

[Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/)

> [There is no short cut to a place worth going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-is-no-short-cut-to-a-place-worth-going/)

[Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/)

> [By the tons it is coming into this country - the deadly, dreadful poison that racks and tears not only the body, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/by-the-tons-it-is-coming-into-this-country-the-deadly-dreadful-poison/)

[Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/)

> [Give up the struggle and the fight; relax in the omnipotence of the Lord Jesus; look up into His lovely face and as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-redpath/give-up-the-struggle-and-the-fight-relax-in-the-omnipotence-of-the/)

[Alan Redpath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-redpath/)

> [There are no short cuts, no detours in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/there-are-no-short-cuts-no-detours-in-the-middle-east/)

[Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/)

> [Truth is not something you can appropriate easily and quickly. You certainly cannot sleep or dream yourself to the truth. No, you must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/truth-is-not-something-you-can-appropriate-easily-and-quickly-you/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [Globalization is a reality. And this makes most leaders today realize that populist illusions can't be sustained before they collapse into stagnation and leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-henrique-cardoso/globalization-is-a-reality-and-this-makes-most-leaders-today-realize/)

[Fernando Henrique Cardoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-henrique-cardoso/)

> [There are no short cuts. If you want to do something special, there's a serious price to pay. There's no way around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-thibodeau/there-are-no-short-cuts-if-you-want-to-do-something-special-there-s-a/)

[Tom Thibodeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-thibodeau/)

> [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

## More by Margaret Mead

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/if-one-cannot-state-a-matter-clearly-enough-so-that-even-an/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [I learned the value of hard work by working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/i-learned-the-value-of-hard-work-by-working-hard/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/children-must-be-taught-how-to-think-not-what-to-think/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Women are scolded both for being mothers and for not being mothers, for wanting to eat their cake and have it too, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/women-are-scolded-both-for-being-mothers-and-for-not-being-mothers/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [we came to realize that a civilization which rode roughshod over the way of life of other peoples was incorporating evil in its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-came-to-realize-that-a-civilization-which-rode-roughshod-over-the/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [WE MUST DEVISE A SYSTEM IN WHICH PEACE IS MORE REWARDING THAN WAR.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-must-devise-a-system-in-which-peace-is-more-rewarding-than-war/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Through a grandmother's voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/through-a-grandmother-s-voice-and-hands-the-end-of-life-is-known-at/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [today's children are the first generation to grow up in a world that has the power to destroy itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/today-s-children-are-the-first-generation-to-grow-up-in-a-world-that/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-are-now-at-a-point-where-we-must-educate-our-children-in-what-no/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Humanity . . . lies in man's capacity to question the known and imagine the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/humanity-lies-in-man-s-capacity-to-question-the-known-and-imagine-the/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/fathers-are-biological-necessities-but-social-accidents/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and not be held responsible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/one-of-the-most-dangerous-things-that-can-happen-to-a-child-is-to/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [We end up with the contradictory picture of a society that appears to throw its doors wide open to women, but translates her every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-end-up-with-the-contradictory-picture-of-a-society-that-appears-to/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

[Explore all 314 Margaret Mead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

## More Answers quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/)

[Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/)

> [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the social philosopher, the preacher, and the pedagogue tried the harder to give a short-cut answer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Mead"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-never-popular-if-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-never-popular-if-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/margaret-mead-982_answers_the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-nev_1460927.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/margaret-mead-982_answers_the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-nev_1460927.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/margaret-mead-982_answers_the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-nev_1460927.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the…” — Margaret Mead",
                "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": "Margaret Mead",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The negative cautions of science are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-never-popular-if-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-negative-cautions-of-science-are-never-popular-if-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
