Anthony Standen

Psychologists, like other scientists,

Psychologists, like other scientists, pride themselves on being extremely modern, and therefore much better than any group of people that ever were before. Anthony Standen

Insight is not the

Insight is not the same as scientific deduction, but even at that it may be more reliable than statistics. Anthony Standen

Mr. Hillaire Belloc has pointed out that science has changed greatly, and for the worse, since it became popular. Some hundred years ago, or more, only very unusual, highly original spirits were attracted to science at all; scientific work was therefore carried out by men of exceptional intelligence. Now, scientists are turned out by mass … Read more

Scientists are convinced that

Scientists are convinced that they, as scientists, possess a number of very admirable human qualities, such as accuracy, observation, reasoning power, intellectual curiosity, tolerance, and even humility. Anthony Standen

Physicists, being in no

Physicists, being in no way different from the rest of the population, have short memories for what is inconvenient. Anthony Standen

But although in theory

But although in theory physicists realize that their conclusions are … not certainly true, this … does not really sink into their consciousness. Nearly all the time … they … act as if Science were indisputably True, and what’s more, as if only science were true…. Any information obtained otherwise than by the scientific method, … Read more

It is true that

It is true that physics gives a wonderful training in precise, logical thinking-about physics. It really does depend upon accurate reproducible experiments, and upon framing hypotheses with the greatest possible freedom from dogmatic prejudice. And if these were the really important things in life, physics would be an essential study for everybody. Anthony Standen

Such instances of the

Such instances of the almost infinite unpredictability of man are known to social scientists, but they are no more affected by them than the asylum inmate is by being told that he is not Napoleon. Anthony Standen

But regular biology, as

But regular biology, as an “ology,” has to be “scientific,” and this means in practice that it has to be made dull…. Everything has to be expressed in utterly impersonal terms. Anthony Standen

The velocity of light

The velocity of light occupies an extraordinary place in modern physics. It is lèse-majesté to make any criticism of the velocity of light. It is a sacred cow within a sacred cow, and it is just about the Absolutest Absolute in the history of human thought. Anthony Standen