---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No single theory ever agrees with all the…"
description: "\"No single theory ever agrees with all the facts in its domain\" — Paul Feyerabend"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/paul-feyerabend-10420_agree_no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-th_2779040.png"
---

#  No single theory ever agrees with all the facts in its…

![“No single theory ever agrees with all the facts in its domain” quote by Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/paul-feyerabend-10420_agree_no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-th_2779040.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/paul-feyerabend-10420_agree_no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-th_2779040.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/paul-feyerabend-10420_agree_no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-th_2779040.png)

> “No single theory ever agrees with all the facts in its domain”

[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.

No single theory can account for all facts within its field; pluralism is needed.

**In simple terms:** One theory can’t explain everything.

Key Takeaway

Embrace multiple perspectives.

Themes

science philosophy theory pluralism

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

philosophical academic

When to use this quote

- research design
- policy analysis
- academic debate

Key Concepts

epistemology methodology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you integrate conflicting theories?
- When is a single theory sufficient?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on one theory can hinder progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Domain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domain/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/)

## Related quotes

> [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/)

> [Knowledge is not a series of self consistent theories that converges towards an ideal view; it is rather an ever increasing ocean of mutually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/knowledge-is-not-a-series-of-self-consistent-theories-that-converges-2/)

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

> [There is no single theory that is used in economics that considers the finite nature of resources. It's shocking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-grantham/there-is-no-single-theory-that-is-used-in-economics-that-considers/)

[Jeremy Grantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-grantham/)

> [I think it laughable, frankly, that the physics community comes up with a theory for everything. There isn't one theory for everything. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/i-think-it-laughable-frankly-that-the-physics-community-comes-up-with/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [The revolution which began with the creation of quantum theory and relativity theory can only be finished with their unification into a single theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-revolution-which-began-with-the-creation-of-quantum-theory-and/)

[Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/)

> [To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/to-look-for-a-single-general-theory-of-how-to-decide-the-right-thing/)

[Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/)

> [It was Einstein's dream to discover the grand design of the universe, a single theory that explains everything. However, physicists in Einstein's day hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/it-was-einstein-s-dream-to-discover-the-grand-design-of-the-universe/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [There is no coherent knowledge , i.e. no uniform comprehensive account of the world and the events in it. There is no comprehensive truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/there-is-no-coherent-knowledge-i-e-no-uniform-comprehensive-account/)

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

> [What is surprising is that almost all the trends that developed within the sciences, Aristotelianism and an extreme Platonism included, produced results, not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/what-is-surprising-is-that-almost-all-the-trends-that-developed/)

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

> [It may happen that the enemies of Islam may consider it expedient not to take any action against Islam, if Islam leaves them alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayyid-qutb/it-may-happen-that-the-enemies-of-islam-may-consider-it-expedient-not/)

[Sayyid Qutb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayyid-qutb/)

> [I'm saying that the domain of poetry includes both oral &amp; written forms, that poetry goes back to a pre-literate situation &amp; would survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-rothenberg/i-m-saying-that-the-domain-of-poetry-includes-both-oral-written-forms/)

Jerome Rothenberg

> [When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-people-are-suicidal-their-thinking-is-paralyzed-their-options/)

[Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/)

> [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [An academic discipline, or any other semiotic domain, for that matter, is not primarily content, in the sense of facts and principles. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-paul-gee/an-academic-discipline-or-any-other-semiotic-domain-for-that-matter/)

[James Paul Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-paul-gee/)

> [Limit use of shareware and public domain software to systems without fixed disks. If you do use them on fixed disks, allocate separate subdirectories...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcafee/limit-use-of-shareware-and-public-domain-software-to-systems-without/)

[John McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcafee/)

## 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 Agree quotes

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/)

[Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/)

> [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/)

[Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/)

> [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/)

[Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/)

> [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/)

[Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/)

Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No single theory ever agrees with all the facts in its domain",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Feyerabend"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-the-facts-in-its-domain/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agree"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-the-facts-in-its-domain/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/paul-feyerabend-10420_agree_no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-th_2779040.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/paul-feyerabend-10420_agree_no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-th_2779040.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/paul-feyerabend-10420_agree_no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-th_2779040.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No single theory ever agrees with all the facts in its domain” — 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": "No single theory ever agrees with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-the-facts-in-its-domain/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/no-single-theory-ever-agrees-with-all-the-facts-in-its-domain/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
