But with regard to the material world, we can at least go so far as this;-we can perceive that events are brought about, not by insulated interpositions of Divine power, exerted in each particular ease, but by the establishment of general laws. William Whewell More Quotes by William Whewell More Quotes From William Whewell Every failure is a step to success. William Whewell moving-oncongratulationssuccess Those who have obtained the farthest insight into Nature have been, in all ages, firm believers in God. William Whewell insightagefaith The main object of the work was to present such a survey of the advances already made in physical knowledge, and of the mode in which they have been made, as might serve as a real and firm basis for our speculations concerning the progress of human knowledge, and the processes by which sciences are formed. William Whewell progressrealmight The catastrophist constructs theories, the uniformitarian demolishes them. William Whewell constructsdemolishtheory We cannot observe external things without some degree of Thought; nor can we reflect upon our Thoughts, without being influenced in the course of our reflection by the Things which we have observed. William Whewell coursesdegreesreflection The hypotheses we accept ought to explain phenomena which we have observed. But they ought to do more than this: our hypotheses ought to foretell phenomena which have not yet been observed. William Whewell hypothesisacceptingscience In order that the facts obtained by observation and experiment may be capable of being used in furtherance of our exact and solid knowledge, they must be apprehended and analysed according to some Conceptions which, applied for this purpose, give distinct and definite results, such as can be steadily taken hold of and reasoned from. William Whewell takenscienceknowledge The hypotheses which we accept ought to explain phenomena which we have observed. But they ought to do more than this; our hypotheses ought to foretell phenomena which have not yet been observed; ... because if the rule prevails, it includes all cases; and will determine them all, if we can only calculate its real consequences. Hence it will predict the results of new combinations, as well as explain the appearances which have occurred in old ones. And that it does this with certainty and correctness, is one mode in which the hypothesis is to be verified as right and useful. William Whewell realacceptancescience Astronomy is ... the only progressive Science which the ancient world produced. William Whewell astronomyscienceworld There is a mask of theory over the whole face of nature. William Whewell masknaturefaces Every failure is a step to success. Every detection of what is false directs us towards what is true: every trial exhausts some tempting form of error. Not only so; but scarcely any attempt is entirely a failure; scarcely any theory, the result of steady thought, is altogether false; no tempting form of Error is without some latent charm derived from Truth. William Whewell failureerrorstrials Geometry in every proposition speaks a language which experience never dares to utter; and indeed of which she but halfway comprehends the meaning. William Whewell darelanguagespeak Gold and iron at the present day, as in ancient times, are the rulers of the world; and the great events in the world of mineral art are not the discovery of new substances, but of new and rich localities of old ones. William Whewell discoveryscienceart Hence no force, however great, can stretch a cord, however fine, into a horizontal line which is accurately straight: there will always be a bending downwards. William Whewell bendingforcelines ...the question undoubtedly is, or soon will be, not whether or no we shall employ notation in chemistry, but whether we shall use a bad and incongruous, or a consistent and regular notation. William Whewell consistencyusescience To discover the laws of operative power in material productions, whether formed by man or brought into being by Nature herself, is the work of a science, and is indeed what we more especially term Science. William Whewell lawmenscience The system becomes more coherent as it is further extended. The elements which we require for explaining a new class of facts are already contained in our system. In false theories, the contrary is the case. William Whewell elementsclassfacts It is a test of true theories not only to account for but to predict phenomena. William Whewell accountsteststheory Nobody since Newton has been able to use geometrical methods to the same extent for the like purposes; and as we read the Principia we feel as when we are in an ancient armoury where the weapons are of gigantic size; and as we look at them we marvel what manner of man he was who could use as a weapon what we can scarcely lift as a burden. William Whewell purposemenlooks The object of science is knowledge; the objects of art are works. In art, truth is the means to an end; in science, it is the only end. Hence the practical arts are not to be classed among the sciences William Whewell meanknowledgeart
