[P]erhaps there is something to be said for . The classic authorities tell us that he was only "doing a stunt," but I... think of him as a man who...… - Arthur Eddington

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[P]erhaps there is something to be said for . The classic authorities tell us that he was only "doing a stunt," but I... think of him as a man who... brought to light a constructional defect in the flying-machines of his day. So too, in science, cautious Dædalus will apply his theories where he feels most confident... but by... excess caution their hidden weaknesses cannot be brought to light. Icarus will strain his theories to the breaking-point until the weak joints gape. ...But if he is not yet destined to reach the sun and solve for all time the riddle of its constitution, yet he may hope to learn from his journey some hints to build a better machine.

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About Arthur Eddington

Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington OM FRS (28 December 1882 – 22 November 1944) was an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician. He was also a philosopher of science and a populariser of science. The Eddington limit, the natural limit to the luminosity of stars, or the radiation generated by accretion onto a compact object, is named in his honour.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Native Name: sir Arthur Stanley Eddington
Alternative Names: Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington Sir Arthur Eddington
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Additional quotes by Arthur Eddington

Consciousness is not wholly, nor even primarily a device for receiving sense-impressions. … there is another outlook than the scientific one, because in practice a more transcendental outlook is almost universally admitted. … who does not prize these moments that reveal to us the poetry of existence?

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When the properties of an ideal model have been worked out by rigorous mathematics, all the underlying assumptions being clearly understood, then it becomes possible to say that such-and-such properties and laws lead precisely to such-and-such effects. If any other disregarded factors are present, they should now betray themselves when a comparison is made with Nature.

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