Ignorant Quote by Maupertuis
““One constructs for oneself a satisfactory system only when one is ignorant of the characteristics of the phenomena to be explained.””
About This Quote
Source Philosophical Treatise: Pierre Louis Maupertuis, 1748
A satisfactory system cannot be built without ignorance of the phenomena it aims to explain.
In simple terms: You need to admit ignorance to create a good model.
Embrace humility in research.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- scientific research
- engineering design
- policy analysis
- education curriculum
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What do you assume before studying a problem?
- How can you test those assumptions?
Complex systems may require some prior knowledge.