Knowledge Quote by Roger Scruton
““Its true that we learn a lot from science about how we function but there’s a danger in thinking knowledge of how we function is the full account of what we are. If you’re a chemist who is really interested in the optical properties of certain pigments you could analyse the Mona Lisa and describe it completely but you would never have mentioned the face, which is the meaning of this thing. In that way a neuroscientist can put together an enormously impressively picture of the brain but he would not have described what goes on when we react to another person.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Soul of the World by Roger Scruton, 2011
Science explains mechanisms but not meaning; understanding function alone misses the essence of experience.
In simple terms: Science tells how we work, not why we matter.
Key Takeaway
Seek meaning beyond data.
Themes
philosophy
science
meaning
human nature
Mood
thoughtful
reflective
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- art analysis
- personal relationships
- self‑reflection
- empathy
Key Concepts
ontology
epistemology
subjectivity
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we integrate scientific insight with personal meaning?
- Can data ever fully represent human experience?
A Different Perspective
Science cannot capture the qualitative, lived experience of consciousness.
![“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions of phantasmatical seeming philosophy." [William Petty]” quote by Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e5a/carl-zimmer-16331_knowledge_i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted_1770.jpg)
