Hacker News

points by rightnutwingjob 3 days ago | 0 comments

“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” Max Planck 1949

Commonly paraphrased to: The knowledge quest proceeds funeral by funeral.

[–] dingdongditchme 2 days ago

For some reason I doubt Max Planck wrote or said this after his death (1947). The person i meant (maybe it was Kuhn). Either way I think it is too harsh, and many of the scientists I know strive to minimize bias as much as possible.... but I admit it being very hard to break out of conventional thinking and even more so as I age.

[–] mrguyorama 2 days ago

I always find this funny.

Max Planck himself got to watch physics radically change multiple times, through avenues that didn't involve the old guard dying.

[–] NetMageSCW 2 days ago

Kuhn?

[–] dingdongditchme 2 days ago

yea thats the name that was evading me, methinks.