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Thus science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths neither with the collection of observations, nor with the invention of experiments, but with the critical discussion of myths, and of magical techniques and practices.

Karl Popper

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Karl Popper
Age: 92 †
Born: 1902
Born: July 28
Died: 1994
Died: September 17
Philosopher
Philosopher Of Science
Sociologist
University Teacher
Writer
Vienna
Austria
Karl Raimund Popper Sir
Karl Raimund
Sir Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper
Must
Accounts
Collection
Thus
Collections
Critical
Discussion
Criticism
Observation
Observations
Neither
Experiments
Myths
Begin
Invention
Techniques
Practice
Myth
Practices
Science
Technique
Magical

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Good tests kill flawed theories we remain alive to guess again.
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I have spoken to Einstein and he admitted to me that his theory was in fact no different from the one of Parmenides.
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We do not know. We can only guess.
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Our knowledge can only be finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite.
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In my view, aiming at simplicity and lucidity is a moral duty of all intellectuals: lack of clarity is a sin, and pretentiousness is a crime.
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[To] interpret Parmenides as a Kant before Kant ... this is exactly what we must do.
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It is not intuitive ease I am after, but rather a point of view which is sufficiently definite to clear up some difficulties, and to be criticized in rational terms. (Bohr's complementarity cannot be so criticized, I fear it can only be accepted or denounced - perhaps as being ad hoc, or as being irrational, or as being hopelessly vague.)
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Science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths.
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It is not his possession of knowledge, of irrefutable truth, that makes the man of science, but his persistent and recklessly critical quest for truth.
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There is no pure, disinterested, theory-free observation.
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. . . it seems to me certain that more people are killed out of righteous stupidity than out of wickedness.
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Historically speaking all - or very nearly all - scientific theories originate from myths.
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It is part of my thesis that all our knowledge grows only through the correcting of our mistakes.
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I see now more clearly than ever before that even our greatest troubles spring from something that is [as] admirable and sound as it is dangerous – from our impatience to better the lot of our fellows.
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The war of ideas is a Greek invention. It is one of the most important inventions ever made. Indeed, the possibility of fighting with with words and ideas instead of fighting with swords is the very basis of our civilization, and especially of all its legal and parliamentary institutions.
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No book can ever be finished. While working on it we learn just enough to find it immature the moment we turn away from it
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The history of science is everywhere speculative. It is a marvelous hiatory. It makes you proud to be a human being.
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We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.
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Ignorance is not a simple lack of knowledge but an active aversion to knowledge, the refusal to know, issuing from cowardice, pride, or laziness of mind.
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The best thing that can happen to a human being us to find a problem, to fall in love with that problem, and to live trying to solve that problem, unless another problem even more lovable appears.
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