Error is the price we pay for progress. Alfred North Whitehead More Quotes by Alfred North Whitehead More Quotes From Alfred North Whitehead Life is complex in its expression, involving more than percipience, namely desire, emotion, will, and feeling. Alfred North Whitehead expressiondesirefeelings Learning preserves the errors of the past as well as its wisdom. Alfred North Whitehead learningerrorspast Fundamental progress has to do with the reinterpretation of basic ideas. Alfred North Whitehead progressmotivationideas The Universe is vast. Nothing is more curious than the self-satisfied dogmatism with which mankind at each period of its history cherishes the delusion of the finality of existing modes of knowledge. Skeptics and believers are alike. At this moment scientists and skeptics are the leading dogmatists. Advance in detail is admitted; fundamental novelty is barred. This dogmatic common sense is the death of philosophic adventure. Alfred North Whitehead common-senseselfadventure Our rate of progress is such that an individual human being, of ordinary length of life, will be called on to face novel situations which find no parallel in his past. The fixed person, for the fixed duties, who, in older societies was such a godsend, in the future will be a public danger. Alfred North Whitehead length-of-lifeprogresspast The progress of Science consists in observing interconnections and in showing with a patient ingenuity that the events of this ever-shifting world are but examples of a few general relations, called laws. To see what is general in what is particular, and what is permanent in what is transitory, is the aim of scientific thought. Alfred North Whitehead lawscienceart Dogmatism is the anti-Christ of learning. Alfred North Whitehead anti-christdogmatismchrist The ultimate metaphysical ground is the creative advance into novelty. Alfred North Whitehead metaphysicalnoveltycreative Intelligence is quickness to apprehend as distinct form ability, which is capacity to act wisely on the thing apprehended. Alfred North Whitehead intelligenceintelligentwise In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat, but in the evolution of real knowledge it marks the first step in progress toward a victory. Alfred North Whitehead realscienceknowledge After you understand about the sun and the stars and the rotation of the earth, you may still miss the radiance of the sunset. Alfred North Whitehead sunsetstarsattitude It is more important that a proposition be interesting than that it be true. Alfred North Whitehead importanttruthinteresting Knowledge is always accompanied with accessories of emotion and purpose. Alfred North Whitehead accessoriesemotionalfeelings Rightness of limitation is essential for growth of reality. Alfred North Whitehead essentialsgrowthreality Education is the acquisition of the art of the utilisation of knowledge. Alfred North Whitehead acquisitionart People make the mistake of talking about 'natural laws.' There are no natural laws. There are only temporary habits of nature. Alfred North Whitehead lawmistaketalking The greatest invention of the nineteenth century was the invention of the method of invention. Alfred North Whitehead nineteenth-centuryinventioncentury By relieving the brain of all unnecessary work, a good notation sets it free to concentrate on more advanced problems, and in effect increases the mental power of the race. Alfred North Whitehead learningracebrain Without adventure civilization is in full decay. ... The great fact [is] that in their day the great achievements of the past were the adventures of the past. Alfred North Whitehead adventuresciencepast Religion is what a person does in his solitariness. Alfred North Whitehead inspirationallifereligion
