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Asked in 1919 whether it was true that only three people in the world understood the theory of general relativity, [Eddington] allegedly replied: Who's the third?

Arthur Eddington

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Arthur Eddington
Age: 61 †
Born: 1882
Born: December 28
Died: 1944
Died: November 22
Astronomer
Astrophysicist
Philosopher
Physicist
Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington
Sir Arthur Eddington
True
General
World
Understood
People
Asked
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Allegedly
Understanding
Relativity
Whether
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Three
Thirds

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In the most modern theories of physics probability seems to have replaced aether as the nominative of the verb 'to undulate'.
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Whatever else there may be in our nature, responsibility toward truth is one of its attributes.
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A hundred thousand million Stars make one Galaxy A hundred thousand million Galaxies make one Universe. The figures may not be very trustworthy, but I think they give a correct impression.
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Who will observe the observers?
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It is a primitive form of thought that things exist or do not exist.
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What is possible in the Cavendish Laboratory may not be too difficult in the sun.
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Do not put too much confidence in experimental results until they have been confirmed by theory.
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We are bits of stellar matter that got cold by accident, bits of a star gone wrong.
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The idea of a universal mind or Logos would be, I think, a fairly plausible inference from the present state of scientific theory.
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I believe there are 15, 747, 724, 136, 275, 002, 577, 605, 653, 961, 181, 555, 468, 044, 717, 914, 527, 116, 709, 366, 231, 425, 076, 185, 631, 031, 296 protons in the universe and the same number of electrons.
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The physical world is entirely abstract and without actuality apart from its linkage to consciousness.
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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.
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The quest of the absolute leads into the four-dimensional world.
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For the truth of the conclusions of physical science, observation is the supreme Court of Appeal.
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[When thinking about the new relativity and quantum theories] I have felt a homesickness for the paths of physical science where there are ore or less discernible handrails to keep us from the worst morasses of foolishness.
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Shuffling is the only thing which Nature cannot undo.
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Unless the structure of the nucleus has a surprise in store for us, the conclusion seems plain — there is nothing in the whole system of laws of physics that cannot be deduced unambiguously from epistemological considerations.
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There was a time when we wanted to be told what an electron is. The question was never answered. No familiar conceptions can be woven around the electron it belongs to the waiting list.
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In any attempt to bridge the domains of experience belonging to the spiritual and physical sides of nature, time occupies the key position.
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We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We are finding that we must learn a great deal more about 'and'.
Arthur Eddington