JULES HENRI POINCARÉ
Macroknow Library |
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The Value of
Science: Essential Writings of Henri Poincaré.
SCIENCE AND HYPOTHESIS
"Experiment is the
sole source of truth. It alone can teach us something new; it
alone can give us certainty. . . However, . . . It is not
sufficient merely to observe; we must use our observations, and
for that purpose we must generalize."1a
PLANCK
"The man of science
must work with method. Science is built up of facts, as a house is
built of stones; but an accumulation of facts is no more a science
than a heap of stones is a house. Most important of all, the man
of science must exhibit foresight."1 b
THE VALUE OF SCIENCE
"But if
science is feared, it is above all
because it cannot give us happiness."1c
" . . .
[W]hence does
space get its quantitative character? It comes from the role which
the series of muscular sensations play in its genesis. These are
series which may repeat themselves, and it is from this
repetition that that number comes; it is because they can repeat
themselves indefinitely that space is infinite. . . So it is
repetition which has given to space its essential characteristics;
now, repetition supposes time; this is enough to tell that
time is
logically anterior to space."1d*
"Now
what is
science? . . . it is before all a classification, a manner of
bringing together facts which appearances separate, though they
were bound together by some natural and hidden kinship. Science,
in other words, is a system of relations." 1e
PLANCK
HEIDEGGER
BADIOU
SCIENCE AND METHOD
"
. . .
[T]he
triumphs of industry, which have enriched so many practical men,
would never have seen the light if only these practical men had
existed, and if they had not been preceded by disinterested fools
who died poor, who never thought of the useful, and yet had a
guide that was not their own caprice."1f
MARX
PASTEUR
CARNEGIE
SCHUMPETER
GHANDI
HEIDEGGER
"
. . .
[H]istory
does not repeat itself . . ."1g
NIETZSCHE
"The scientist does
not study nature because it is useful to do so. He studies it
because he takes pleasure in it, and he takes pleasure in it
because it is beautiful."1 h
"How does it happen
that there are people who do not understand mathematics? . . .
A mathematical demonstration is not a simple juxtaposition of
syllogisms; it consists of syllogisms placed in a certain order,
and the order in which these elements are placed is much more
important than the elements themselves. . .
. . . this feeling, this intuition of mathematical order, which
enables us to guess hidden harmonies and relations, cannot belong
to everyone."1i*
"Discovery is
discernment, selection."1j
"It is not enough
to feel doubts about everything; we must know why we doubt." 1k
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*
Italics in the original.
1
Henri Poincaré
(1854-1912). The Value
of Science: Essential Writings of Henri Poincaré.
Stephen Jay Gould, Series Editor. Biographical note and
compilation, Random House, Inc., 2001. Series introduction,
Stephen Jay Gould, 2001. New York, NY: Modern Library.
SCIENCE AND HYPOTHESIS
a Part IV:
Chapter X: The Theories of Modern Physics, at 109.
b Ibid.,
at 110.
THE VALUE OF SCIENCE
c
Introduction, at 190.
d Part I:
Chapter IV: Space and Its Three Dimensions, at 266.
e Part
III: Chapter XI: Science and Reality, at 347.
SCIENCE AND METHOD
f Part I:
Chapter I: The Selection of Facts, at 364.
g Ibid., at 366.
h Ibid.,
at 368
i Part I:
Chapter III: Mathematical Discovery, at 387-390.
j Ibid.,
at 390.
k Part II:
Chapter II: Mathematical Definitions and Education, at 449.
MK-BOOKS-POINCARE-20080315.
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