Frank Luntz Quotes

Research programmes, besides their negative heuristic, are also characterized by their positive heuristic.

Informed decision-making comes from a long tradition of guessing and then blaming others for inadequate results.

We need to be pro-science; we have to go back to science.

As a scientist, you're not supposed to make decisions without the data.

Do not speculate; get data and calculate.

I will never speculate on data. I always need to see data.

Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.

Science is a way of life. Science is a perspective. Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a manner that's precise, predictive and reliable - a transformation, for those lucky enough to experience it, that is empowering and emotional.

All policies should be guided by science, not just whose voice is the loudest.

You can't rush the science, but when the science points you in the right direction, then you can start rushing.

Traditional science is all about finding shortcuts.

Facts and data, rather than opinion, are the two cornerstones of problem solving, and yet they are consistently withheld from the people by American media. We must have facts and data in order to recognize where there is a problem!

Lack of scientific fundamentals causes people to make foolish decisions about issues such as the toxicity of chemicals, the efficacy of medicines, the changes in the global climate. Our single greatest defense against scientific ignorance is education, and early in the life of every scientist, the child's first interest was sparked by a teacher.

There is a tremendous amount of support for the approach we have taken, which again is to base our decisions on risk analysis and thoughtful scientific process.

I'm a bit of a freak for evidence-based analysis. I strongly believe in data.

Science is a self-sufficient activity.

Traditional scientific method has always been at the very best, 20 - 20 hindsight. It's good for seeing where you've been. It's good for testing the truth of what you think you know, but it can't tell you where you ought to go.

A scientist... must accept the results of experiment, and nothing but the results of experiment.

If you're a scientist, and you have to have an answer, even in the absence of data, you're not going to be a good scientist.

But there is only one surefire method of proper pattern recognition, and that is science.

I take what I see work. I'm a strict believer in the scientific principle of believing nothing, only taking the best evidence available at the present time, interpreting it as best you can, and leaving your mind open to the fact that new evidence will appear tomorrow.

A few observation and much reasoning lead to error; many observations and a little reasoning to truth.

Science is a way of getting knowledge. It's a method. It's a method that really relies on making mistakes. We propose ideas, they are usually wrong, and we test them against the data. Scientists do this in a formal way. It's a way that everyone can go through life; that's how we should be teaching science from a very young age.

It's a question of evidence-based politics. If you know that something does not work, you should not keep doing it.

But I think you can strip the emotion and the subjectivity away while you focus on doing the science - and that's really important.