Science, Faith and Society Quotes

“The quickest impression on the scientific world may be made not by publishing the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but rather by serving an interesting and plausible story composed of parts of the truth with a little straight invention admixed to it. Such a composition is judiciously guarded by interspersed ambiguities, will be extremely difficult to controvert, and in a field in which experiments are laborious or intrinsically difficult to reproduce may stand for years unchallenged. A considerable reputation can be built and a very comfortable university post be gained before this kind of swindle transpires — if it ever does. If each scientist set to work every morning with the intention of doing the best bit of safe charlatanry, which would just help him into a good post, there would soon exist no effective standards by which such deception could be detected. A community of scientists in which each would act only with an eye to please scientific opinion would find no scientific opinion to please. Only if scientists remain loyal to scientific ideals rather than try to achieve success with their fellow scientists can they form a community, which will uphold these ideals.”
― Michael Polanyi, Science, Faith and Society

“No one can appreciate science if he does not live in it.”
― Michael Polanyi, Science, Faith and Society