The belief that one can find out something about real things by speculation
alone is one of the most long-lived delusions in human thought. It is the spirit of antiscience
which is always trying to lead men away from the study of reality to the
spinning of fanciful theories out of their own minds. It is the spirit which every one of
us (whether he is engaged in scientific investigation or in deciding how to use his vote
in an election) must cast out of his own mind. Mastery of the art of thought is only the
beginning of the task of understanding reality. Without the correct facts it can only
lead us into error.
-- Robert H. Thouless, Straight and Crooked Thinking
-- Robert H. Thouless, Straight and Crooked Thinking