The surprising science of alpha males | Frans de Waal

Scientific discoveries:

"Science is even more unpredictable than history. Every important discovery in science is by definition unpredictable. If it were predictable, it would not be an important discovery. The purpose of science is to create opportunities for unpredictable things to happen. When nature does something unexpected, we learn something about how nature works."

Freeman Dyson

Models & Theories:

"On well-trodden ground we build theories. On the half-explored frontiers we build models."

Freeman Dyson

-----

"As a scientist I make a sharp distinction between models and theories. A theory is a construction, built out of logic and mathematics, that is supposed to describe the actual universe that we live in. A model is a construction that describes a much simpler universe, including some features of the actual universe and neglecting others."

"Verne and Wells both failed to foresee some of the most basic aspects of twentieth-century life: the dominance of the private automobile over other means of transportation, the ubiquity of telephones and personal computers ... Their most basic mistake was their belief that technology would always become bigger and bigger rather than smaller and smaller."

Freeman Dyson

Verständnis und Sprache:

A) Wie sehr jemand in der Lage ist, etwas rasch zu verstehen;

B) Wie sehr jemand in der Lage ist, Verstandenes zu verbalisieren;

Unzufriedenheit:

"Im Leben (absolut) zufrieden zu sein, wäre tatlose Ruhe und Stillstand der Triebfedern[.]"

Immanuel Kant

-----

"Der Schmerz ist der Stachel der Tätigkeit und in dieser fühlen wir allererst unser Leben[.]"

Wissenserwerb:

A) Wissenserwerb aus einem Zwang heraus

B) Wissenserwerb aus Interesse