Certain Quote by Roger Bacon
“Reasoning draws a conclusion, but does not make the conclusion certain, unless the mind discovers it by the path of experience.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Opus Majus, 1267
Reasoning leads to conclusions, but certainty requires experiential verification.
In simple terms: Reasoning alone isn’t certain.
Key Takeaway
Test ideas through experience.
Themes
knowledge
reasoning
experience
Mood
analytical
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- scientific research
- skill learning
- decision making
Key Concepts
epistemology
logic
empiricism
Questions to Reflect On
- What conclusions need testing?
- How do you verify your reasoning?
A Different Perspective
Experience can be misleading without critical analysis.
![“[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)
