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Richard P. Feynman Quotes about Doubt

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We need to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed. It's OK to say, I don't know.

We need to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed. It's OK to say, "I don't know."

Richard P. Feynman
Learning, Doubt, Needs

We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty.

Richard P. Feynman
People, Doubt, Progress
"The Pleasure of Finding Things Out". Book by Richard P. Feynman, 1999.

There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt.

Richard P. Feynman
Doubt, No Doubt
Richard P. Feynman (2005). “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman”, p.61, Hachette UK

Another of the qualities of science is that it teaches the value of rational thought, as well as the importance of freedom of thought; the positive results that come from doubting that all the lessons are true... Learn from science that you must doubt the experts. As a matter of fact, I can also define science another way: Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts.

Richard P. Feynman
Ignorance, Doubt, Quality

There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made.

Richard P. Feynman
Science, Discovery, Doubt
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.290, Princeton University Press

Doubt is clearly a value in science. It is important to doubt and that the doubt is not a fearful thing, but a thing of great value.

Richard P. Feynman
Doubt, Important, Fearful

A scientist is never certain. ... We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning.

Richard P. Feynman
Doubt, Progress, Rooms

Science is a way to teach how something gets to be known, what is not known, to what extent things are known (for nothing is known absolutely), how to handle doubt and uncertainty, what the rules of evidence are, how to think about things so that judgments can be made, how to distinguish truth from fraud, and from show.

Richard P. Feynman
Science, Thinking, Doubt
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.146, Princeton University Press

We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress, we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt.

Richard P. Feynman
Ignorance, Order, Doubt
Richard P. Feynman (2011). “"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.263, W. W. Norton & Company

When a scientist doesn't know the answer to a problem, he is ignorant. When he has a hunch as to what the result is, he is uncertain. And when he is pretty darn sure of what the result is going to be, he is in some doubt.

Richard P. Feynman
Doubt, Ignorant, Answers
Richard P. Feynman (2011). “"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.263, W. W. Norton & Company

You see, one thing is, I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things... It doesn't frighten me.

Richard P. Feynman
Ignorance, Knowing, Doubt

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