---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Copernicanism and other essential…"
description: "\"Copernicanism and other essential ingredients of modern science survived only because reason was frequently overruled in their past.\" — Paul Feyerabend"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/paul-feyerabend-10420_essentials_copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingred_1660749.png"
---

#  Copernicanism and other essential ingredients of modern…

![“Copernicanism and other essential ingredients of modern science survived only because reason was frequently overruled in their past.” quote by Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/paul-feyerabend-10420_essentials_copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingred_1660749.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/paul-feyerabend-10420_essentials_copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingred_1660749.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/paul-feyerabend-10420_essentials_copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingred_1660749.png)

> “Copernicanism and other essential ingredients of modern science survived only because reason was frequently overruled in their past.”

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

## About This Quote

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

Scientific progress often thrives when reason is challenged; breakthroughs arise from questioning prevailing logic.

**In simple terms:** Science advances by breaking rules, not just following them.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions to foster innovation.

Themes

science philosophy innovation critical thinking

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- research labs
- policy making
- education curricula

Key Concepts

paradigm shift epistemology creativity

Questions to Reflect On

- When has breaking a rule led to a breakthrough?
- How do we protect useful traditions while encouraging dissent?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on reason can stifle creativity; balance with intuition.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Modern science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-science/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Science is not sacrosanct. The mere fact that it exists, is admired, has results is not sufficient for making it a measure of excellence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/science-is-not-sacrosanct-the-mere-fact-that-it-exists-is-admired-has/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [We are nothing but the product of billions of years of molecules coming together and ratcheting up through natural selection, we are composed only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-are-nothing-but-the-product-of-billions-of-years-of-molecules/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [Modern science, then, so far from being an enemy of romance, is seen on every hand to be its sympathetic and resourceful friend, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-le-gallienne/modern-science-then-so-far-from-being-an-enemy-of-romance-is-seen-on/)

[Richard Le Gallienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-le-gallienne/)

> [Modern science kills God and takes his place on the vacant throne. Science is the sole legitimate arbiter of all relavent truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/modern-science-kills-god-and-takes-his-place-on-the-vacant-throne/)

[Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/)

> [It is unheard-of, uncivilized barbarism that any woman should still be forced to bear such monstrous torture. It should be remedied. It should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/it-is-unheard-of-uncivilized-barbarism-that-any-woman-should-still-be/)

[Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/)

> [The fact is that philosophy has been a decisive source of inspiration in all the great crises that Europe has faced. It has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-esposito/the-fact-is-that-philosophy-has-been-a-decisive-source-of-inspiration/)

[Roberto Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-esposito/)

> [We all have faith in something: usually a mixture of some personal beliefs with modern science. I am not like that. Mostly I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/we-all-have-faith-in-something-usually-a-mixture-of-some-personal/)

[James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/)

> [The real accomplishment of modern science and technology consists in taking ordinary men, informing them narrowly and deeply and then, through appropriate organization, arranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-real-accomplishment-of-modern-science-and-technology-consists-in/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals, or would directly sit in judgment on creatures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-cannot-conceive-of-a-personal-god-who-would-directly-influence-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“Who could have guessed at the dawn of the 21st century, the seminal technology upon which 5000 years of modern science had resulted was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-goldstein/who-could-have-guessed-at-the-dawn-of-the-21st-century-the-seminal/)

[Ken Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-goldstein/)

> [Modern science has as its object as little pain as possible, as long a life as possible - hence a sort of eternal blessedness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/modern-science-has-as-its-object-as-little-pain-as-possible-as-long-a/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Most of today's film actresses are typical of a mass-production age: living dolls who look as if they came off an assembly line and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-lawrenson/most-of-today-s-film-actresses-are-typical-of-a-mass-production-age/)

[Helen Lawrenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-lawrenson/)

> [Modern science is under no obligation to satisfy the expectations of your five senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/modern-science-is-under-no-obligation-to-satisfy-the-expectations-of/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [So much for modern science and its wonderful discoveries that just about everything can kill you. Life is only a bedtime story before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bloch/so-much-for-modern-science-and-its-wonderful-discoveries-that-just/)

[Robert Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bloch/)

> [However far modern science and techniques have fallen short of their inherent possibilities, they have taught mankind at least one lesson; nothing is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/however-far-modern-science-and-techniques-have-fallen-short-of-their/)

[Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/)

## More by Paul Feyerabend

> [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [Science is an essentially anarchic enterprise...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/science-is-an-essentially-anarchic-enterprise/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [One might get the impression that I recommend a new methodology which replaces induction by counterinduction and uses a multiplicity of theories, metaphysical views,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/one-might-get-the-impression-that-i-recommend-a-new-methodology-which/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [A Universal Good should reflect the reality of the individual benefits that are collected under its name, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/a-universal-good-should-reflect-the-reality-of-the-individual/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [The sciences of today are business enterprises run on business principles. Research in large institutes is not guided by Truth and Reason but by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/the-sciences-of-today-are-business-enterprises-run-on-business/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [Experience arises together with theoretical assumptions not before them, and an experience without theory is just as incomprehensible as is (allegedly) a theory without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/experience-arises-together-with-theoretical-assumptions-not-before/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [Ultimate Reality, if such an entity can be postulated, is ineffable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/ultimate-reality-if-such-an-entity-can-be-postulated-is-ineffable/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [Today science prevails not because of its comparative merits, but because the show has been rigged in its favour... It reigns supreme because some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/today-science-prevails-not-because-of-its-comparative-merits-but/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [The only absolute truth is that there are no absolute truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/the-only-absolute-truth-is-that-there-are-no-absolute-truths/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [Humane science must be adapted to the requirements of a balanced and rewarding life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/humane-science-must-be-adapted-to-the-requirements-of-a-balanced-and/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [Unanimity of opinion may be fitting for a church, for the frightened or greedy victims of some (ancient, or modern) myth, or for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/unanimity-of-opinion-may-be-fitting-for-a-church-for-the-frightened/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [Facts are constituted by older ideologies, and a clash between facts and theories may be proof of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/facts-are-constituted-by-older-ideologies-and-a-clash-between-facts/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [No theory ever agrees with all the facts in its domain, yet it is not always the theory that is to blame. Facts are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/no-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-the-facts-in-its-domain-yet-it-is-not/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [In a war a totalitarian state has a free hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/in-a-war-a-totalitarian-state-has-a-free-hand/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [A free society is a society in which all traditions have equal rights and equal access to the centers of power. A tradition receives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/a-free-society-is-a-society-in-which-all-traditions-have-equal-rights/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

[Explore all 65 Paul Feyerabend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

## More Essentials quotes

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/)

[Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/)

> [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/)

[Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [Intellectual methods-study and reason-are essential to our progress toward eternal life, but they are not sufficient. They can prepare the way. They can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/intellectual-methods-study-and-reason-are-essential-to-our-progress/)

[Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/)

> [It is essential for world peace that the world religions make peace with each other. If they don't, we can hardly expect the nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/it-is-essential-for-world-peace-that-the-world-religions-make-peace/)

[Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/)

> [ I don't think anybody can be a success who doesn't like what they do. \[But it's\] no job if it has no challenge; there's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/i-don-t-think-anybody-can-be-a-success-who-doesn-t-like-what-they-do/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [I believe it is essential for our planetary future to develop tools that can change the consciousness which has created the crisis that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislav-grof/i-believe-it-is-essential-for-our-planetary-future-to-develop-tools/)

[Stanislav Grof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislav-grof/)

> [It's essential that we learn how to defend the Bible and the Christian faith for our sake and our children's. If we don't, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/it-s-essential-that-we-learn-how-to-defend-the-bible-and-the/)

[Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/)

Browse all 3,407 Essentials quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Copernicanism and other essential ingredients of modern science survived only because reason was frequently overruled in their past.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Feyerabend"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingredients-of-modern-science/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Essentials"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingredients-of-modern-science/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/paul-feyerabend-10420_essentials_copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingred_1660749.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/paul-feyerabend-10420_essentials_copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingred_1660749.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/paul-feyerabend-10420_essentials_copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingred_1660749.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Copernicanism and other essential ingredients of modern science survived only because reason was frequently…” — Paul Feyerabend",
                "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": "Paul Feyerabend",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Copernicanism and other essential ingredients of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingredients-of-modern-science/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/copernicanism-and-other-essential-ingredients-of-modern-science/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
