Lisa Randall Quotes
I really do think that science has an internal structure, and it makes sense, and we can test it.
Randall, Lisa. Interview by Steve Paulson. "The believer in the physicist." Salon, 2005.
This is a very important quotation because it illustrates a large difference between ideological politics and science and scientific thinking. As an example, one of the must fundamental rules of conservative Republicans at the beginning of the 21st century was that “If taxes are raised, the economic consequences will be that growth and development of jobs will slow. In the last 6 years of Ronald Reagan’s administration, he raised taxes. Yet the economy grew. In the early years of the Clinton administration income tax rates were increased, and America had the greatest growth rate in modern times as well as a balanced budget with a surplus. There have been a few other examples of “exceptions” to this “rule.” There were also many examples where the rule held. However, from a scientific point of view, with the FIRST exception the rule (principle) was invalidated. Yet Republicans continue to use and quote the rule which is clearly untrue. The scientist would likely have amended the rule to reflect reality: “In many cases, raising income tax rates will often slow economic growth.” However, politicians commonly state principles and rules despite the fact that there are exceptions. As for the statement “the exception proves the rule” there are few as absurd. One exception means no valid rule.
This quotation illustrates and important aspect of science. Specifically, that theory, something ephemeral and impractical to the layman, has immense practical power in developing great scientific and technological breakthroughs. The result of this breakthrough was large lenses that could make lights more powerful and make lighthouses much more safe. Even the atomic bomb was really developed from theory and then engineered for practical use.
Lisa Randall is an American theoretical physicist working in particle physics and cosmology. She is the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science on the physics faculty of Harvard University. Her research includes elementary particles, fundamental forces and dimensions of space. She studies the Standard Model, supersymmetry, possible solutions to the hierarchy problem concerning the relative weakness of gravity, cosmology of dimensions, baryogenesis, cosmological inflation, and dark matter. She contributed to the Randall–Sundrum model, first published in 1999 with Raman Sundrum.
