Certainty Quote by Stephen Fry
“Everything had been based on a kind of certainty, a sense of man at the center of things, a sense of order and hierarchy. And suddenly, almost simultaneously, extraordinary discoveries are made.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on The History of Science, 2009
The quote reflects how humanity once felt central and ordered, but new discoveries shattered that certainty, revealing a more complex reality.
In simple terms: We thought we were the center, but discoveries changed that view.
Key Takeaway
Embrace humility and adapt to new knowledge.
Themes
humility
science
paradigm shift
uncertainty
knowledge
exploration
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- academic research
- technology development
- education reform
- public policy
- personal worldview
Key Concepts
anthropocentrism
epistemology
scientific revolution
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this shift affect your sense of purpose?
- What responsibilities arise from recognizing our limited perspective?
A Different Perspective
It may overlook that some societies still maintain anthropocentric views despite evidence.
![“We only know a tiny proportion about the complexity of the natural world. Wherever you look, there are still things we don’t know about and don’t understand. [...] There are always new things to find out if you go looking for them.” quote by David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b04/david-attenborough-2396_complexity_we-only-know-a-tiny-proportion-about-the_112007.jpg)
![“[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)