Source for science quote
William C Waterhouse
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I'm trying to find the source for the quote:
"Science is the refusal to believe on the basis of hope".
This is variously attributed to "Charles Percy Snow"
(which seems plausible) and to "Carrie P. Snow"
(about 20 times as often, courtesy of Google).
Can anyone provide a definitve reference, with source?
(please don't quote my own "Some Quotable Quotes for Statistics"
back at me! - I just went with the majority attribution, in a
Polya urn scheme sort of way). Many thanks, Ewart Shaw
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I came across this again and thought I could now try
Google books; that gave me some references, and then
I could track it down.
It wass written by a sociologist, Barrington Moore, Jr.
(1913-2005). Here it is in context:
The conception of science used here will be a broad
one: whatever is established by sound reasoning and
evidence may belong to science. Insights from
literature and philosophy become part of science
as they become established. Their gropings and
explorations are part of the whole rational
enterprise. Only when such thinkers refuse to
submit themselves to verification do they separate
themselves from science. For the essence of science,
I would suggest, is simply the refusal to believe
on the basis of hope.
It is part of an essay called "Tolerance and the
Scientific Outlook," which was one of three essays
(by three authors) making up a short book called
_A Critique of Pure Tolerance_. In the 1969 paperback
edition in our library, the essay occupies pages 53-79,
and the excerpt is on page 55.
William C. Waterhouse
Penn State
The Sanity Inspector
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/immanuel/images/Kowtow.gif
--
bruce
The dignified don't even enter in the game.
-- The Jam
Véritable Rosbif
"William C Waterhouse" <w...@math.psu.edu> wrote in message
news:f9t5hd$1iii$1...@f04n12.cac.psu.edu...
> Over a year ago, Ewart Shaw asked:
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
> I'm trying to find the source for the quote:
> "Science is the refusal to believe on the basis of hope".
Just as a way to hang an 'overheard' onto a vaguely relevant thread, there
was a programme on UK TV on Monday evening. In the first of a two-part
series, Richard Dawkins was taking apart the pseudo-science of astrology,
faith-healers, dowsing, spiritualism, crystals, tarot and so on. At one
point in the script he said that by comparison with all the fluffy,
feel-good, new-age boloney "science is the poetry of the real world", which
struck me as slightly marvellous - and appears to be original. My 13yo, who
appears to be heading towards a science-based career, has taken it as his
current mantra!
Graham J Weeks
"Véritable Rosbif" wrote:
But it was reported that he like Christmas carols. So when it comes to singing,
science is not sufficient poetry.
A sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity,
and gifted with an egotistical imagination that can at all times command an
interminable and inconsistent series of arguments to malign an opponent and
glorify himself. ~ Benjamin Disraeli, speech (July 27, 1878) -speaking of
Gladstone
--
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Graham J Weeks M.R.Pharm.S.
http://www.christiansquoting.org.uk
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