“Paradox is the sharpest scalpel in the satchel of science.”

— Hans Christian von Baeyer

Source: Information, The New Language of Science (2003), Chapter 23, Black Holes, Where information goes to hide, p. 204
Context: Paradox is the sharpest scalpel in the satchel of science. Nothing concentrates the mind as effectively, regardless of whether it pits two competing theories against each other, or theory against observation, or a compelling mathematical deduction against ordinary common sense.

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Hans Christian von Baeyer 25

American physicist 1938

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“Paradox is the sharpest scalpel in the satchel of science.”

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