--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet the paradox is that scientific…" description: "\"“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/paul-kalanithi-5204_human-life_yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-metho_102317.jpg" --- # Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the… ![“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories to organize and manipulate the world, to reduce phenomena into manageable units. Science is based on reproducibility and manufactured objectivity…” quote by Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/paul-kalanithi-5204_human-life_yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-metho_102317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/paul-kalanithi-5204_human-life_yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-metho_102317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/paul-kalanithi-5204_human-life_yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-metho_102317.jpg) > ““Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories to organize and manipulate the world, to reduce phenomena into manageable units. Science is based on reproducibility and manufactured objectivity. As strong as that makes its ability to generate claims about matter and energy, it also makes scientific knowledge inapplicable to the existential, visceral nature of human life, which is unique and subjective and unpredictable.”” [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science, built by humans, excels at reproducible facts but cannot fully capture the subjective, unpredictable essence of human existence. **In simple terms:** Science explains the world but not life's inner experience. Key Takeaway Objective methods have limits for personal meaning. Themes science philosophy human experience Mood thoughtful melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - medical ethics discussions - existential counseling Key Concepts epistemology subjectivity Practical Applications - integrate narrative medicine with scientific practice Questions to Reflect On - How can science honor subjective experience? - What role should narrative play in medicine? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on objectivity may neglect essential human dimensions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Methodology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/methodology/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Paradox Scientific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox-scientific-1236623/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-knowledge/) [Scientific Methodology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-methodology-1236624/) [Scientific Theories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-theories-633701/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Given cognitive vulnerabilities, it would be convenient to have an arrangement whereby reality could tell us off; and that is precisely what science is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/given-cognitive-vulnerabilities-it-would-be-convenient-to-have-an/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [International affairs must be completely permeated with scientific methodology and a democratic spirit, with a fearless weighing of all facts, views, and theories, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-sakharov/international-affairs-must-be-completely-permeated-with-scientific/) [Andrei Sakharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-sakharov/) > [“Scientific theories are tested every time someone makes an observation or conducts an experiment, so it is misleading to think of science as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimo-pigliucci/scientific-theories-are-tested-every-time-someone-makes-an/) [Massimo Pigliucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimo-pigliucci/) > [“Thus, by science I mean, first of all, a worldview giving primacy to reason and observation and a methodology aimed at acquiring accurate knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/thus-by-science-i-mean-first-of-all-a-worldview-giving-primacy-to/) [Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/) > [Later scientific theories are better than earlier ones for solving puzzles in the often quite different environments to which they are applied. 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The more facts we know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/scientific-theories-need-reconstruction-every-now-and-then-if-they/) [Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/) > [“Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the rise of science is not that the early scientists searched for natural laws, confident that they existed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/perhaps-the-most-remarkable-aspect-of-the-rise-of-science-is-not-that/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [A theory not only explains the world we see, it lets us imagine other worlds, and, even more significantly, lets us act to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/a-theory-not-only-explains-the-world-we-see-it-lets-us-imagine-other/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [People sometimes try to score debating points by saying, Evolution is only a theory. That is correct, but it's important to understand what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/people-sometimes-try-to-score-debating-points-by-saying-evolution-is/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Scientific theories tell us what is possible; myths tell us what is desirable. Both are needed to guide proper action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-smith/scientific-theories-tell-us-what-is-possible-myths-tell-us-what-is/) [John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-smith/) > [Historically speaking all - or very nearly all - scientific theories originate from myths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/historically-speaking-all-or-very-nearly-all-scientific-theories/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [All scientific theories are provisional and may be changed, but ... on the whole, they are accepted from Washington to Moscow because of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevill-francis-mott/all-scientific-theories-are-provisional-and-may-be-changed-but-on-the/) [Nevill Francis Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevill-francis-mott/) > [“if you believe that science provides no basis for God, then you are almost obligated to conclude that science provides no basis for meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/if-you-believe-that-science-provides-no-basis-for-god-then-you-are/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [Subjectivism is not an absolute principle; it is a necessary but not sufficient condition for sound methodology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/subjectivism-is-not-an-absolute-principle-it-is-a-necessary-but-not/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) ## More by Paul Kalanithi > [“operative risk, it was the best kind of tumor to have, and the best place to have it; surgery would almost certainly eliminate her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/operative-risk-it-was-the-best-kind-of-tumor-to-have-and-the-best/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“If the unexamined life was not worth living, was the unlived life worth examining?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/if-the-unexamined-life-was-not-worth-living-was-the-unlived-life/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“...but every day felt full of life, and of the relationships that give life meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/but-every-day-felt-full-of-life-and-of-the-relationships-that-give/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I struggled, while facing my own death, to rebuild my old life—or perhaps find a new one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-struggled-while-facing-my-own-death-to-rebuild-my-old-life-or/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“My imagined future and my personal identity collapsed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/my-imagined-future-and-my-personal-identity-collapsed/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I had come to see language as an almost supernatural force, existing between people,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-had-come-to-see-language-as-an-almost-supernatural-force-existing/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“When a patient comes in with a fatal head bleed, that first conversation with a neurosurgeon may forever color how the family remembers the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/when-a-patient-comes-in-with-a-fatal-head-bleed-that-first/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“To the east, the full light of day beamed toward you; to the west, night reigned with no hint of surrender. No philosopher can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/to-the-east-the-full-light-of-day-beamed-toward-you-to-the-west-night/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I acted not, as I most often did, as death’s enemy, but as its ambassador. I had to help those families understand that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-acted-not-as-i-most-often-did-as-death-s-enemy-but-as-its/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“A scan showed that a benign brain tumor was pressing on her right frontal lobe. In terms of operative risk, it was the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/a-scan-showed-that-a-benign-brain-tumor-was-pressing-on-her-right/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“Now more than ever, you have to be there for each other. I don’t want either of you staying up all night at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/now-more-than-ever-you-have-to-be-there-for-each-other-i-don-t-want/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“The funny thing about time in the OR, whether you race frenetically or proceed steadily, is that you have no sense of it passing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/the-funny-thing-about-time-in-the-or-whether-you-race-frenetically-or/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“Learn to be fast now. You can learn to be good later.” In the OR, everyone’s eyes are always on the clock. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/learn-to-be-fast-now-you-can-learn-to-be-good-later-in-the-or/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“I felt that the last thing he needed was the obligation to service a new friendship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/i-felt-that-the-last-thing-he-needed-was-the-obligation-to-service-a/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“The word hope first appeared in English about a thousand years ago, denoting some combination of confidence and desire. But what I desired—life—was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/the-word-hope-first-appeared-in-english-about-a-thousand-years-ago/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) [Explore all 100 Paul Kalanithi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) ## More Human life quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Art is not a pleasure, a solace, or an amusement; art is great matter. Art is an organ of human life, transmitting man's reasonable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/art-is-not-a-pleasure-a-solace-or-an-amusement-art-is-great-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I free slaves because I believe we are all created equal. I just can't think of anything that has a higher purpose than putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-williams/i-free-slaves-because-i-believe-we-are-all-created-equal-i-just-can-t/) [Virginia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-williams/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [There seems to be a kind of order in the universe…in the movement of the stars and the turning of the Earth and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/there-seems-to-be-a-kind-of-order-in-the-universe-in-the-movement-of/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [I think we are not spend our life as it pick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-narwal/i-think-we-are-not-spend-our-life-as-it-pick/) [ANKIT NARWAL](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankit-narwal/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. 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Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-s-smith/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [In these years we are witnessing the gigantic spectacle of innumerable human lives wandering about lost in their own labyrinths, through not having anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-these-years-we-are-witnessing-the-gigantic-spectacle-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) [Browse all 2,309 Human life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. 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