“We live in an age of belief-belief in the omnipotence of science. This belief is bolstered by the fact that the problems scientists are called on to solve are for the most part selected by the scientists themselves.”

—  Anatol Rapoport

Source: 1960s, "The Use and Misuse of Game Theory," 1962, p. 108

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "We live in an age of belief-belief in the omnipotence of science. This belief is bolstered by the fact that the problem…" by Anatol Rapoport?
Anatol Rapoport photo
Anatol Rapoport 45
Russian-born American mathematical psychologist 1911–2007

Related quotes

Jerry Coyne photo

“Religion has nothing to tell scientists that can improve their trade. Indeed, the progress of science has required shedding all vestiges of religion, whether those be the beliefs themselves or religious methods for finding “truth.””

Jerry Coyne book Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible

We do not need those hypotheses.
Source: Faith vs. Fact (2015), p. 257

“Try to keep in mind one of the fundamental aspects of science: letting the evidence form belief rather than belief select evidence.”

Greg Craven American teacher and writer

Source: What's the Worst That Could Happen?: A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate (2009), Chapter 10 "Reader's Conclusion" (p. 206)

“The difference between these beliefs and the beliefs of religions is that scientific beliefs are methodological, not propositional…It is the absence of propositional beliefs that distinguishes science from a belief system. There is no proposition of the content of science that is accepted upon belief alone.”

Mordechai Ben-Ari (1948) Israeli computer scientist

Source: Just a Theory: Exploring the Nature of Science (2005), Chapter 3, “Words Scientists Don’t Use: At Least Not the Way You Do” (pp. 51-52)

Scott Adams photo

“As you know, the best way to solve a problem is to identify the core belief that causes the problem; then mock that belief until the people who hold it insist that you heard them wrong.”

Scott Adams (1957) cartoonist, writer

DNRC Newsletter #58, 2004-11-11 http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/dnrc/html/newsletter58.html,

“It has nothing to do with belief. It's a fact. It's the truth! As a scientist, I know it's true because science is based on skepticism. We consider all possibilities equally and decide on facts based on what stands up to empirical evidence. Which is how I know that you gomers are absolutely and totally wrong.”

Orl Unho (1976)

Sex Ed (2005)

Warren Farrell photo

“The belief that men don’t need help is part of the problem.”

Warren Farrell (1943) author, spokesperson, expert witness, political candidate

Women Can't Hear What Men Don't Say (2000)

Anne McCaffrey photo

“A real scientist solves problems, not wails that they are unsolvable.”

Anne McCaffrey book Acorna: The Unicorn Girl

Source: Acorna: The Unicorn Girl

Ricky Gervais photo

“Beliefs do not change facts. Facts, if one is rational, should change beliefs.”

Ricky Gervais (1961) English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter
Michael Crichton photo

“Nobody dares to solve the problems-because the solution might contradict your philosophy, and for most people clinging to beliefs is more important than succeeding in the world.”

Michael Crichton book State of Fear

Source: State of Fear

Steven Weinberg photo

“I think the world needs to wake up from its long nightmare of religious belief; and anything that we scientists can do to weaken the hold of religion should be done, and may in fact be our greatest contribution to civilization.”

Steven Weinberg (1933) American theoretical physicist

Closing statements of presentation at Beyond Belief : Science, Religion, Reason and Survival (5 November 2006)
Context: There are those whose views about religion are not very different from my own, but who nevertheless feel that we should try to damp down the conflict, that we should compromise it. … I respect their views and I understand their motives, and I don't condemn them, but I'm not having it. To me, the conflict between science and religion is more important than these issues of science education or even environmentalism. I think the world needs to wake up from its long nightmare of religious belief; and anything that we scientists can do to weaken the hold of religion should be done, and may in fact be our greatest contribution to civilization.

Related topics