Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin Quotes
Facts are placed before reasonings and before ideals, even though the reasonings and the ideals be more beautiful, be seemingly more lofty, be seemingly better, be seemingly truer. The seemingly absurd and the seemingly impossible are sometimes true. The scientific disposition is to accept facts upon evidence, however absurd they may appear to our pre-conceptions.
This quotation from 1888 is apropos many of the major scientific advances which are counter-intuitive. Relativity was one; another was Quantum Mechanics where we have to learn to accept the fact that something can be in two (or more) places at once or that the exact same forces acting on an object can produce more than one result. Most non-scientists would see these as absurd, but they are basic characteristics of modern physics.
Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, 1843-1928, Geologist, Commencement Speech, University of Michigan, June 28, 1888
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This is as opposed to religion where usually we want unshakable faith, In science, we want our faith to be shakable when new data are discerned or new theories are developed.
Belief and/or ideology of even teh vast majority or the world has no influence on the vaidity and truth of science. A particualr scientific statement is true or not based an many factors, none of which have anything to do with beliefs, world views, custims, cultures, or religious doctrine.
Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin was an American geologist and educator. In 1893 he founded the Journal of Geology, of which he was editor for many years.
