Arthur Eddington Quotes

212 Sourced Quotes

In the world of physics we watch a shadowgraph performance of the drama of familiar life. The shadow of my elbow rests on the shadow table as the shadow ink flows over the shadow paper. It is all symbolic, and as a symbol the physicist leaves it.... The frank realization that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances.

Arthur Eddington
It is perhaps difficult sufficiently to emphasise Seeking without disparaging its correlative Finding. But I must risk this, for Finding has a clamorous voice that proclaims its own importance; it is definite and assured, something that we can take hold of —that is what we all want, or think we want. Yet how transitory it proves.
The finding of one generation will not serve for the next. It tarnishes rapidly except it be reserved with an ever-renewed spirit of seeking.

Arthur Eddington
Proof is an idol before whom the pure mathematician tortures himself. In physics we are generally content to sacrifice before the lesser shrine of plausibility.

Arthur Eddington
The solar system is not the typical product of development of a star; it is not even a common variety of development; it is a freak.

Arthur Eddington
A rainbow described in the symbolism of physics is a band of aethereal vibrations arranged in systematic order of wavelength from about -000040 cm to -000072 cm.

Arthur Eddington
The time has gone by when the physicists prescribed dictatorially what theories the geologist might be permitted to consider.

Arthur Eddington
The future is not predetermined, and Nature has no need to protect herself from giving away plans which she has not yet made.

Arthur Eddington
Events do not happen; they are just there, and we come across them.

Arthur Eddington
That which in the physical world shadows the nonsense in the mind affords no ground for its condemnation. In a world of aether and electrons we might perhaps encounter nonsense; we could not encounter damned nonsense.

Arthur Eddington
We can now form some sort of picture of the inside of a star — a hurly burly of atoms, electrons and aether-waves. Disheveled atoms tear along at a hundred miles a second, their normal array of electrons being torn from them in the scrimmage. The lost electrons are speeding a hundred times faster to find new resting places.

Arthur Eddington
It is well to be explicit when a positive generalization is made from negative experimental evidence.

Arthur Eddington
There are two parties to every observation - the observed and the observer.

Arthur Eddington
The helium which we handle must have been put together at some time and some place. We do not argue with the critic who urges that the stars are not hot enough for this process; we tell him to go and find a hotter place.

Arthur Eddington
However closely we may associate thought with the physical machinery of the brain, the connection is dropped as irrelevant as soon as we consider the fundamental property of thought—that it may be correct or incorrect.... that involves recognising a domain of the other type of law—laws which ought to be kept, but may be broken.

Arthur Eddington
We should be unwise to trust scientific inference very far when it becomes divorced from opportunity for observational test.

Arthur Eddington
Let us draw an arrow arbitrarily. If as we follow the arrow we find more and more of the random element in the world, then the arrow is pointing towards the future; if the random element decreases the arrow points towards the past…I shall use the phrase 'time's arrow' to express this one-way property of time which has no analogue in space.

Arthur Eddington
We can see that, the constant in the law of gravitation being fixed, there may be some upper limit to the amount of matter possible; as more and more matter is added in the distant parts, space curves round and ultimately closes; the process of adding more matter must stop, because there is no more space, and we can only return to the region already dealt with. But there seems nothing to prevent a defect of matter, leaving space unclosed. Some mechanism seems to be needed, whereby either gravitation creates matter, or all the matter in the universe conspires to define a law of gravitation.

Arthur Eddington
In science as in religion the truth shines ahead as a beacon showing us the path; we do not ask to attain it; it is better far that we be permitted to seek.

Arthur Eddington
There once was a brainy baboon,
Who always breathed down a bassoon,
For he said, "It appears
That in billions of years
I shall certainly hit on a tune".

Arthur Eddington
Our system of philosophy is itself on trial; it must stand or fall according as it is broad enough to find room for this experience as an element of life.

Arthur Eddington
The mind is irresistibly drawn to play with the thought that somewhere in the universe there may be other beings - a little lower than the angels" whom Man may regard as his equals - or perhaps his superiors.

Arthur Eddington
It is the inexorable law of our acquaintance with the external world that that which is presented for knowing becomes transformed in the process of knowing.

Arthur Eddington
Accidental truth of a conclusion is no compensation for erroneous deduction.

Arthur Eddington
Never mind what two tons refers to. What is it? How has it entered in so definite a way into our exprerience? Two tons is the reading of the pointer when the elephant was placed on a weighing machine. Let us pass on. … And so we see that the poetry fades out of the problem, and by the time the serious application of exact science begins we are left only with pointer readings.

Arthur Eddington
Science has an important part to play in our everyday existence, and there is far too much neglect of science; but its intention is to supplement not to supplant the familiar outlook.

Arthur Eddington