Arthur Eddington - The Nature of the Physical World (1928)

61 Sourced Quotes

View all Arthur Eddington Quotes
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
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
The electron, as it leaves the atom, crystallizes out of Schrödinger's mist like a genie emerging from his bottle.

Arthur Eddington
The idealistic tinge in my conception of the physical world arose out of mathematical researches on the relativity theory. In so far as I had any earlier philosophical views, they were of an entirely different complexion.
From the beginning I have been doubtful whether it was desirable for a scientist to venture so far into extra-scientific territory. The primary justification for such an expedition is that it may afford a better view of his own scientific domain.

Arthur Eddington
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
Consciousness is not sharply defined, but fades into sub-consciousness; and beyond that we must postulate something indefinite but yet continuous with our mental nature. This I take it be the world-stuff.

Arthur Eddington
Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, except insofar as it doesn't.

Arthur Eddington
The whole subject-matter of exact science consists of pointer readings and similar indications.

Arthur Eddington
It is difficult for the matter-of-fact physicist to accept the view that the substratum of everything is of mental character. But no one can deny that mind is the first and most direct thing in our experience, and all else is remote inference — inference either intuitive or deliberate.

Arthur Eddington
There is only one law of Nature-the second law of thermodynamics-which recognises a distinction between past and future more profound than the difference of plus and minus. It stands aloof from all the rest.... It opens up a new province of knowledge, namely, the study of organisation; and it is in connection with organisation that a direction of time-flow and a distinction between doing and undoing appears for the first time.

Arthur Eddington
Schrödinger's wave-mechanics is not a physical theory, but a dodge — and a very good dodge too.

Arthur Eddington
The law that entropy always increases, holds, I think, the supreme position among the laws of Nature. If someone points out to you that your pet theory of the universe is in disagreement with Maxwell's equations — then so much the worse for Maxwell's equations. If it is found to be contradicted by observation — well, these experimentalists do bungle things sometimes. But if your theory is found to be against the second law of thermodynamics I can give you no hope; there is nothing for it but to collapse in deepest humiliation.

Arthur Eddington
The mind-stuff is not spread in space and time. But we must presume that in some other way or aspect it can be differentiated into parts. Only here and there does it arise to the level of consciousness, but from such islands proceeds all knowledge. The latter includes our knowledge of the physical world.

Arthur Eddington
The quest of the absolute leads into the four-dimensional world.

Arthur Eddington
Shuffling is the only thing which Nature cannot undo.

Arthur Eddington
So far as physics is concerned, time's arrow is a property of entropy alone.

Arthur Eddington
In science we sometimes have convictions as to the right solution of a problem which we cherish but cannot justify; we are influenced by some innate sense of the fitness of things.

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
If an army of monkeys were strumming on typewriters they might write all the books in the British Museum.

Arthur Eddington
Motion with respect to the universal ocean of aether eludes us. We say, "Let V be the velocity of a body through the aether", and form the various electromagnetic equations in which V is scattered liberally. Then we insert the observed values, and try to eliminate everything which is unknown except V. The solution goes on famously; but just as we have got rid of all the other unknowns, behold! V disappears as well, and we are left with the indisputable but irritating conclusion —

Arthur Eddington
Something unknown is doing we don't know what.

Arthur Eddington
From the point of view of philosophy of science the conception associated with entropy must I think be ranked as the greatest contribution of the nineteenth century to scientific thought.

Arthur Eddington
Whatever may be time de jure, the Astronomer Royal's time is time de facto. His time permeates every corner of physics.

Arthur Eddington
Amid all our faulty attempts at expression the kernal of scientific truth steadily grows; and of this truth it may be said — The more it changes, the more it remains the same.

Arthur Eddington
It is quite commonly said that scientific theories about the world are neither true nor false but merely convenient or inconvenient.

Arthur Eddington
The cleavage between the scientific and the extra-scientific domain of experience is, I believe, not a cleavage between the concrete and the transcendental, but between the metrical and non-metrical.

Arthur Eddington
The destinies of organic life may be determined by what are at first sight irrelevant accidents.

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
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
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