Novalis Quotes

The progress of science requires the growth of understanding in both directions, downward from the whole to the parts and upward from the parts to the whole. A reductionist philosophy, arbitrarily proclaiming that the growth of understanding must go only in one direction, makes no scientific sense. Indeed, dogmatic philosophical beliefs of any kind have no place in science.

The man of science is a poor philosopher.

There is no philosophy which is not founded upon knowledge of the phenomena, but to get any profit from this knowledge it is absolutely necessary to be a mathematician.

Who are we? The answer to this question is not only one of the tasks but the task of science.

For it is owing to their wonder that men both now begin and at first began to philosophize... They were pursuing science in order to know, and not for any utilitarian end.

I want to discover a truth for myself that is really true. Whether it's a piece of scientific knowledge, or a philosophical truth.

Philosophy is the science which considers truth.

For myself, I am interested in science and in philosophy only because I want to learn something about the riddle of the world in which we live, and the riddle of man's knowledge of that world. And I believe that only a revival of interest in these riddles can save the sciences and philosophy from an obscurantist faith in the expert's special skill and in his personal knowledge and authority.

Scientists are explorers. Philosophers are tourists.

My purpose is to explain, not the meaning of words, but the nature of things.

In mathematics and science we solve our problems as well as create them. But in art and philosophy things are not so simple.

I know that science is very interested in answers, and I'm just happy with a good question.

Science is the natural ally of religion.

I believe that the more thoroughly science is studied, the further does it take us from anything comparable to atheism.

Philosophy is empty if it isn't based on science. Science discovers, philosophy interprets.

I think that there is only one way to science - or to philosophy, for that matter: to meet a problem, to see its beauty and fall in love with it; to get married to it and to live with it happily, till death do ye part - unless you should meet another and even more fascinating problem or unless, indeed, you should obtain a solution. But even if you do obtain a solution, you may then discover, to your delight, the existence of a whole family of enchanting, though perhaps difficult, problem children, for whose welfare you may work, with a purpose, to the end of your days.

Wonder is the foundation of all philosophy; research, the progress; ignorance, the end. There is, by heavens, a strong and generous kind of ignorance that yields nothing, for honour and courage, to knowledge: an ignorance to conceive which needs no less knowledge than to conceive knowledge.

Did science promise happiness? I do not believe it. It promised truth, and the question is to know if we will ever make happiness with truth.

It is clear, then, that wisdom is knowledge having to do with certain principles and causes. But now, since it is this knowledge that we are seeking, we must consider the following point: of what kind of principles and of what kind of causes is wisdom the knowledge?

Men who are lovers of wisdom [i.e., philosophers] must be inquirers into many things.

Science is a philosophy of discovery. Intelligent design is a philosophy of ignorance. You cannot build a program of discovery on the assumption that nobody is smart enough to figure out the answer to a problem.

For this feeling of wonder shows that you are a philosopher, since wonder is the only beginning of philosophy.

Without ego I don't know how identity works, I don't know... I need to sit down and re-read some philosophy or something.

Science repudiates philosophy. In other words, it has never cared to justify its truth or explain its meaning.

The Gay Science, section 108