--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fact that an astronomer knows so…" description: "\"“The fact that an astronomer knows so little about the inherent uncertainties in different scientific disciplines suggests to me that our current crop ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/roy-spencer-30236_science_the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-lit_536150.jpg" --- # The fact that an astronomer knows so little about the… ![“The fact that an astronomer knows so little about the inherent uncertainties in different scientific disciplines suggests to me that our current crop of pop-science icons should be largely ignored for information outside their specific areas of expertise.” quote by Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/roy-spencer-30236_science_the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-lit_536150.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/roy-spencer-30236_science_the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-lit_536150.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/roy-spencer-30236_science_the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-lit_536150.jpg) > ““The fact that an astronomer knows so little about the inherent uncertainties in different scientific disciplines suggests to me that our current crop of pop-science icons should be largely ignored for information outside their specific areas of expertise.”” [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pop‑science figures often lack depth in fields beyond their specialty, so their statements on other topics should be treated skeptically. **In simple terms:** Experts are only reliable within their own field. Key Takeaway Check expertise before trusting advice. Themes expertise credibility information skepticism Mood cautious analytical Type advisory critical When to use this quote - media consumption - public discourse - policy making - education - personal decisions Key Concepts epistemology domain specificity Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify a source’s authority? - When should you trust a popular scientist? A Different Perspective Even experts can be wrong about unrelated subjects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“People think they understand things because they become familiar with them. This is only superficial knowledge. 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I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-egan/pop-science-goes-flying-off-in-all-kinds-of-fashionable-directions/) [Greg Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-egan/) > [Whoever has not ascended mountains knows little of the beauties of Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-william-howitt/whoever-has-not-ascended-mountains-knows-little-of-the-beauties-of/) Alfred William Howitt > [Merit, God knows, is very little rewarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/merit-god-knows-is-very-little-rewarded/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [The man who is truly wise knows that he knows very little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-man-who-is-truly-wise-knows-that-he-knows-very-little/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“A real professional is the one who knows how little he knows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-wiltshire/a-real-professional-is-the-one-who-knows-how-little-he-knows/) Jack Wiltshire > [A physician is one who pours drugs of which he knows little into a body of which he knows less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/a-physician-is-one-who-pours-drugs-of-which-he-knows-little-into-a/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every father knows at once too much and too little about his own son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/every-father-knows-at-once-too-much-and-too-little-about-his-own-son/) [Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/) > [It is because every individual knows little and, in particular, because we rarely know which of us knows best best that we trust the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-because-every-individual-knows-little-and-in-particular-because/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [“Shamanism explores an area that contemporary Western science knows little about- the mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-miller-weisberger/shamanism-explores-an-area-that-contemporary-western-science-knows/) [Jonathon Miller Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-miller-weisberger/) > [As anyone who has the slightest knowledge of my work knows, I have little in common with Larkin, who was tall, taciturn and thin-on-top,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-duffy/as-anyone-who-has-the-slightest-knowledge-of-my-work-knows-i-have/) [Carol Ann Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-duffy/) > [It is the individual who knows how little they know about themselves who stands the most reasonable chance of finding out something about themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/it-is-the-individual-who-knows-how-little-they-know-about-themselves/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [“A wise man knows how little he knows and upon his death he drinks wisdom from an empty cup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tarttelin/a-wise-man-knows-how-little-he-knows-and-upon-his-death-he-drinks/) John Tarttelin ## More by Roy Spencer > [Nature is not static, but causes its own, internally-generated changes - both in climate and in biological systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/nature-is-not-static-but-causes-its-own-internally-generated-changes/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [Politicians and some of the scientists like to say that there's a consensus now on global warming or the science has been settled, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/politicians-and-some-of-the-scientists-like-to-say-that-there-s-a/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [Contrary to popular accounts, very few scientists in the world - possibly none - have a sufficiently thorough, 'big picture' understanding of the climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/contrary-to-popular-accounts-very-few-scientists-in-the-world/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [It is well known that strong to violent tornado activity in the US has decreased markedly since statistics began in the 1950s, which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/it-is-well-known-that-strong-to-violent-tornado-activity-in-the-us/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [“One of the large uncertainties about climate change is the extent to which it changes naturally. This dirty little secret is usually swept under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/one-of-the-large-uncertainties-about-climate-change-is-the-extent-to/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [Believe it or not, very little research has ever been funded to search for natural mechanisms of warming... it has simply been assumed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/believe-it-or-not-very-little-research-has-ever-been-funded-to-search/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [All scientists should be skeptics. The reason why is that, even with the best of scientific measurements, we can come up with all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/all-scientists-should-be-skeptics-the-reason-why-is-that-even-with/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [Al Gore likes to say that mankind puts 70 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every day. What he probably doesn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/al-gore-likes-to-say-that-mankind-puts-70-million-tons-of-carbon/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [I would wager that my job has helped save our economy from the economic ravages of out-of-control environmental extremism. I view my job a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/i-would-wager-that-my-job-has-helped-save-our-economy-from-the/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [ We have no idea what's natural and what's man made. \[...\] There is no fingerprint of human-caused warming. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-have-no-idea-what-s-natural-and-what-s-man-made-there-is-no/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [We are now at the point in the age of global warming hysteria where the IPCC global warming theory has crashed into the hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-are-now-at-the-point-in-the-age-of-global-warming-hysteria-where/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [Temperature measurements in the arctic suggest that it was just as warm there in the 1930's...before most greenhouse gas emissions. Don't you ever wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/temperature-measurements-in-the-arctic-suggest-that-it-was-just-as/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [Twice I have testified in congress that unbiased funding on the subject of the causes of warming would be much closer to a reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/twice-i-have-testified-in-congress-that-unbiased-funding-on-the/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [I finally became convinced that the theory of creation actually had a much better scientific basis than the theory of evolution, for the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/i-finally-became-convinced-that-the-theory-of-creation-actually-had-a/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [We see something change in our climate and we blame ourselves ... I don't think we understand what happens. We can watch it happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/we-see-something-change-in-our-climate-and-we-blame-ourselves-i-don-t/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) [Explore all 17 Roy Spencer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) ## More Science quotes > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [“Galton’s gospel of eugenics found fertile soil in Britain, in the intellectual salons of Europe, and in the United States. Beginning in the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-loconte/galton-s-gospel-of-eugenics-found-fertile-soil-in-britain-in-the/) Joseph Loconte > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) Kenan Malik > [“Love. Such a sweet, simple word. A word I've been searching for my entire life - but especially since I met Eio - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-khoury/love-such-a-sweet-simple-word-a-word-i-ve-been-searching-for-my/) [Jessica Khoury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-khoury/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Why are things as they are and not otherwise?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/why-are-things-as-they-are-and-not-otherwise/) [Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [A vacuum can only exist, I imagine, by the things which enclose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/a-vacuum-can-only-exist-i-imagine-by-the-things-which-enclose-it/) [Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [You feed yourself. 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Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) [Browse all 27,477 Science quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The fact that an astronomer knows so little about the inherent uncertainties in different scientific disciplines suggests to me that our current crop of pop-science icons should be largely ignored for information outside their specific areas of expertise.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roy Spencer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-little-about-the-inherent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Science" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-little-about-the-inherent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/roy-spencer-30236_science_the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-lit_536150.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/roy-spencer-30236_science_the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-lit_536150.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/roy-spencer-30236_science_the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-lit_536150.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The fact that an astronomer knows so little about the inherent uncertainties in different scientific…” — Roy Spencer", "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": "Roy Spencer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The fact that an astronomer knows...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-little-about-the-inherent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/the-fact-that-an-astronomer-knows-so-little-about-the-inherent/#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 } } ] } ```