"The progress of science requires the growth of understanding in both directions, downward from the whole to the parts and upward from the parts to the whole. A reductionist philosophy, arbitrarily proclaiming that the growth of understanding must go only in one direction, makes no scientific sense. Indeed, dogmatic philosophical beliefs of any kind have no place in science."

3 likes

Source: John Cornwell, Freeman J. Dyson (1995). “Nature's imagination: the frontiers of scientific vision”, Oxford University Press, USA

About the author

Freeman Dyson

Theoretical Physicist

Freeman Dyson was a theoretical physicist and mathematician known for his contributions to quantum mechanics and his visionary ideas on technology and humanity.

All quotes by Freeman Dyson →

Same author

More quotes by Freeman Dyson

See all →
Freeman Dyson Theoretical Physicist

"You ask: what is the meaning or purpose of life? I can only answer with another question: do you think we are wise enough to read God's mind?"

Read quote
Freeman Dyson Theoretical Physicist

"All stable processes we shall predict. All unstable processes we shall control. Describing John von Neumann's aspiration for the application of computers sufficiently large to solve the problems of meteorology, despite the sensitivity of the weather to small perturbations."

Read quote
Freeman Dyson Theoretical Physicist

"A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible. There are no prima donnas in engineering."

Read quote
Freeman Dyson Theoretical Physicist

"The public has a distorted view of science because children are taught in school that science is a collection of firmly established truths. In fact, science is not a collection of truths. It is a continuing exploration of mysteries."

Read quote