Quote:
Quote:
It does not make any difference how beautiful your guess is. It does not make any difference how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is; If it disagrees with experiment it is wrong. That is all there is to it.
-Richard Feynman
|
I think science is very close minded in a way that demonstrates the quote above. It's a good thing - it protects the purity of the discipline.
|
Yes, scientific guesses must agree with experiment. However, this is not sufficient to demonstrate correctness. An incorrect theory can agree with experiment. I am certain that Feyman knew this, but I still think it needs to be pointed out here.
Quote:
|
This doesn't mean science is closed to new ideas, that's a different ball of wax. Science is open to new ideas because it never assumes it has revealed some final truth (in a way that demonstrates the quote below):
|
Quote:
If you thought before that science was certain - well, that is just an error on your part.
-Feynman
|
I agree with this. however, I would state it as: There is not justification for presenting any of the ideas of theoretical physics as clearly representing reality. It is vulnerable to correction. Perhaps, even extensive correction. Maybe even complete correction.
James
