Friday, November 30, 2007


"Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science." Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912)

I like this quote because it applies to so many different levels and topics. For one, it relates to the idea that individuals that know many facts might be knowledgeable, but that without organization and connections between facts, they may nonetheless not be wise. For two, the statement foreshadows the ills of poorly-integrated (and arguably the low contributability of) modern day social psychology. For three, the statement is consistent with the argument made by some philosophers of science that there needs to be more integration and cross-pollination between scientific disciplines!

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