“They believed that prediction was just a function of keeping track of things. If you knew enough, you could predict anything. That's been cherished scientific belief since Newton.'
And?'
Chaos theory throws it right out the window.”

Source: Jurassic Park

Last update Aug. 10, 2022. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "They believed that prediction was just a function of keeping track of things. If you knew enough, you could predict any…" by Michael Crichton?
Michael Crichton photo
Michael Crichton 121
American author, screenwriter, film producer 1942–2008

Related quotes

Scott Adams photo

“If an economist uses a complicated model to predict just about anything, you can ignore it.”

Scott Adams (1957) cartoonist, writer

Press release, 10 September 2008 http://dilbert.com/blog
Context: If an economist uses a complicated model to predict just about anything, you can ignore it. By analogy, a doctor can’t tell you the exact date of your death in 50 years. But if a doctor tells you to eat less and exercise more, that’s good advice even if you later get hit by a bus. Along those same lines, economists can give useful general advice on the economy, even if you know there will be surprises. Still, be skeptical.

Stephen Hawking photo
Francis Crick photo
Neamat Imam photo

“You can’t predict anything about a ruler.”

The Black Coat (2013)

Joseph Silk photo

“Four predictions of the Big Bang Theory have now been verified - surely enough to quench even the most biased critics.”

Joseph Silk (1942) British-American astronomer

Page 2.30
The Dark Side of the Universe, 2007

David Deutsch photo

“To say that prediction is the purpose of a scientific theory is to confuse means with ends. It is like saying that the purpose of a spaceship is to burn fuel.”

Source: The Fabric of Reality (1997), Ch. 1
Context: To say that prediction is the purpose of a scientific theory is to confuse means with ends. It is like saying that the purpose of a spaceship is to burn fuel. … Passing experimental tests is only one of many things a theory has to do to achieve the real purpose of science, which is to explain the world.

Francis Crick photo

“The job of theorists, especially in biology, is to suggest new experiments. A good theory makes not only predictions, but surprising predictions that then turn out to be true.”

Francis Crick (1916–2004) British molecular biologist, biophysicist, neuroscientist; co-discoverer of the structure of DNA

If its predictions appear obvious to experimentalists, why would they need a theory?
What Mad Pursuit (1988)

Michael Swanwick photo
John C. Baez photo

Related topics