---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science is nothing but perception."
description: "\"Science is nothing but perception.\" — Plato"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/plato-103_perception_science-is-nothing-but-perception-190594_1905942.jpg"
---

#  Science is nothing but perception.

![“Science is nothing but perception.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/plato-103_perception_science-is-nothing-but-perception-190594_1905942.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/plato-103_perception_science-is-nothing-but-perception-190594_1905942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/plato-103_perception_science-is-nothing-but-perception-190594_1905942.jpg)

> “Science is nothing but perception.”

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

## About This Quote

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

Perception shapes our understanding of reality; what we consider science is filtered through our senses and interpretations.

**In simple terms:** Science is filtered by how we see things.

Key Takeaway

Question your assumptions.

Themes

knowledge perception reality

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- research
- education
- daily decision making

Key Concepts

epistemology subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do your senses limit your conclusions?
- Can you trust perception alone?

A Different Perspective

Science is limited by human senses.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [“No two people have exactly the same view of the world. Therefore, the most important science of all is the science of perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-reid/no-two-people-have-exactly-the-same-view-of-the-world-therefore-the/)

[Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-reid/)

> [“She puts her mittened hands on the sides of my hood. “Okay, then remember: ‘Science is nothing but perception’—that’s Plato. He was all about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-longo/she-puts-her-mittened-hands-on-the-sides-of-my-hood-okay-then/)

Jennifer Longo

> [Science is a perception of the world around us. Science is a place where what you find in nature pleases you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyan-chandrasekhar/science-is-a-perception-of-the-world-around-us-science-is-a-place/)

[Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyan-chandrasekhar/)

> [As a scientist, objectivity is one of my most deeply held values. If we could just try harder, I once thought, surely we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-everett/as-a-scientist-objectivity-is-one-of-my-most-deeply-held-values-if-we/)

[Daniel Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-everett/)

> [The tremendous population increase has made meditation and psychic perception, things that come naturally to spiritually evolved people, difficult to practice and participate in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-tremendous-population-increase-has-made-meditation-and-psychic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Life is weird and complex but very simple at the same time. It's all about perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-posey/life-is-weird-and-complex-but-very-simple-at-the-same-time-it-s-all/)

[Tyler Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-posey/)

> [“Perfection- one's misguided perception of reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abheek-kakkar/perfection-one-s-misguided-perception-of-reality/)

Abheek Kakkar

> [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huangbo-xiyun/the-nature-of-the-absolute-is-neither-perceptible-nor-imperceptible/)

[Huangbo Xiyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huangbo-xiyun/)

> [“What is held real is based upon personal beliefs that drive perception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/what-is-held-real-is-based-upon-personal-beliefs-that-drive-perception/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [We do not know enough about how the present will lead into the future. We shall never be able to say, "Ha! My perception,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/we-do-not-know-enough-about-how-the-present-will-lead-into-the-future/)

[Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/)

> [There is no reality, only perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/there-is-no-reality-only-perception/)

[Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/)

> [Perception can be changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/perception-can-be-changed/)

[Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/)

> [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [The new limitations are the human ones of perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-babbitt/the-new-limitations-are-the-human-ones-of-perception/)

Milton Babbitt

> [We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of-perception-but-even-at-that/)

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

## More by Plato

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [You may be sure, dear Crito, that inaccurate language is not only in itself a mistake: it implants evil in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-may-be-sure-dear-crito-that-inaccurate-language-is-not-only-in/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-men-learn-this-it-will-implant-forgetfulness-in-their-souls-they/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-as-nobody-may-believe-them/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“The love of man to woman is a thing common and of course, and at first partakes more of instinct and passion than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-love-of-man-to-woman-is-a-thing-common-and-of-course-and-at-first/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“He was a wise man who invented God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-was-a-wise-man-who-invented-god/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [For let me tell you, that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-let-me-tell-you-that-the-more-the-pleasures-of-the-body-fade-away/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“What shall we say about those spectators, then, who can see a plurality of beautiful things, but not beauty itself, and who are incapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-shall-we-say-about-those-spectators-then-who-can-see-a-plurality/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [When men speak ill of thee, live so that nobody will believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-that-nobody-will-believe-them/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [We must, if we are to be consistent, and if we re to have a real pedigree herd, mate the best of our men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-must-if-we-are-to-be-consistent-and-if-we-re-to-have-a-real/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

[Explore all 1,278 Plato quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

## More Perception quotes

> [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/)

[Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/)

> [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/)

Cruce Stark

> [There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/there-s-no-reason-for-men-to-be-better-at-maths-than-women-it-s-just/)

[Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/)

> [When you hang the 'bipartisan' tag on something, the perception is that differences have been worked out, and there's a broad agreement that that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/when-you-hang-the-bipartisan-tag-on-something-the-perception-is-that/)

[Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/)

> [We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of-perception-but-even-at-that/)

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

> [Bring the viewer to your side, include him in your thought. He is not a bystander. You have the power to increase his perceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/bring-the-viewer-to-your-side-include-him-in-your-thought-he-is-not-a/)

[Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/)

> [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/)

J. Willard Gibbs

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [If people in Indonesia look 'different', they are afraid. Racist insults fly if someone does not look like part of the majority. Indonesia is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/if-people-in-indonesia-look-different-they-are-afraid-racist-insults/)

[Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/)

> [Plato compared the intellect to a charioteer guiding the powerful horses of the passions, i.e., he gave it both the power of perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-cattell/plato-compared-the-intellect-to-a-charioteer-guiding-the-powerful/)

[Raymond Cattell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-cattell/)

> [The new limitations are the human ones of perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-babbitt/the-new-limitations-are-the-human-ones-of-perception/)

Milton Babbitt

> [Gasoline inventories are tighter than they were a few weeks ago. It's all about perception, because inventories are well above where they have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-cooper/gasoline-inventories-are-tighter-than-they-were-a-few-weeks-ago-it-s/)

Kyle Cooper

> [As a society, we have this perception that women are emotional. The research, however, tells us that, on trading floors, that poor risk rises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallie-krawcheck/as-a-society-we-have-this-perception-that-women-are-emotional-the/)

[Sallie Krawcheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallie-krawcheck/)

> [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [Perception can be changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/perception-can-be-changed/)

[Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/)

[Browse all 3,687 Perception quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Science is nothing but perception.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Plato"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/science-is-nothing-but-perception/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Perception"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/science-is-nothing-but-perception/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/plato-103_perception_science-is-nothing-but-perception-190594_1905942.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/plato-103_perception_science-is-nothing-but-perception-190594_1905942.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/plato-103_perception_science-is-nothing-but-perception-190594_1905942.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Science is nothing but perception.” — Plato",
                "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": "Plato",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Science is nothing but perception.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/science-is-nothing-but-perception/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/science-is-nothing-but-perception/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
