Argument Quote by Roger Bacon
“Argument is conclusive, but it does not remove doubt, so that the mind may rest in the sure knowledge of the truth, unless it finds it by the method of experiment.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Opus Majus, 1267
Reason alone cannot eliminate doubt; empirical testing is needed to achieve certainty.
In simple terms: Experiment validates knowledge.
Key Takeaway
Trust but test ideas.
Themes
science
philosophy
epistemology
Mood
inquisitive
analytical
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- research
- education
- policy making
Key Concepts
empiricism
skepticism
Questions to Reflect On
- What belief would you test?
- How do you balance reason and evidence?
A Different Perspective
Experiments can be costly or impractical.
![“[I]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics, in so far as disposed through it we are able to reach certainty in other sciences and truth by the exclusion of error.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/roger-bacon-15067_able_i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-a_24209.jpg)
![“There are four great sciences, without which the other sciences cannot be known nor a knowledge of things secured ... Of these sciences the gate and key is mathematics ... He who is ignorant of this [mathematics] cannot know the other sciences nor the affairs of this world.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/555/roger-bacon-15067_affair_there-are-four-great-sciences-without-wh_575596.jpg)
![“All science requires mathematics. [Editors' summary of Bacon's idea, not Bacon's wording.]” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/49e/roger-bacon-15067_editors_all-science-requires-mathematics-editors_697422.jpg)
