Wisdom from Claude Bernard:It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.The e

Wisdom from Claude Bernard: It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning. The experimenter who does not know what he is looking for will not understand what he finds. When we meet a fact which contradicts a prevailing theory, we must accept the fact and abandon the theory, even when the theory is supported by great names and generally accepted. Man can learn nothing unless he proceeds from the known to the unknown. All the vital mechanisms, varied as they are, have only one object, that of preserving constant the conditions of life in the internal environment. We achieve more than we know. We know more than we understand. We understand more than we can explain. Those who do not know the torment of the unknown cannot have the joy of discovery. Men who have excessive faith in their theories or ideas are not only ill prepared for making discoveries; they also make very poor observations. Of necessity, they observe with a preconceived idea, and when they devise an experiment, they can see, in its results,only a confirmation of their theory. In this way they distort observation and often neglect very important facts because they do not further their aim. We must keep our freedom of mind, … and must believe that in nature what is absurd, according to our theories, is not always impossible. The science of life is a superb and dazzlingly lighted hall which may be reached only by passing through a long and ghastly kitchen. Mediocre men often have the most acquired knowledge. -- source link

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