"[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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Anti-war activistsUniversity of Cambridge facultyMathematicians from EnglandAstronomers from EnglandPhysicists from England
Original Language: English
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https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Eddington
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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.
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