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Byron K. Jennings
(29 Mar 1951 - )
Canadian theoretical physicist who studied nucleon structure as it impacts on nuclear properties. He has been a science administrator, including being head of the theory group at TRIUMF (Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics). He wrote about his insights about science gained from his years decades of experiences in In Defense of Scientism: An Insider’s View of Science (2015).
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Science Quotes by Byron K. Jennings (3 quotes)
Science is the art of the appropriate approximation. While the flat earth model is usually spoken of with derision it is still widely used. Flat maps, either in atlases or road maps, use the flat earth model as an approximation to the more complicated shape.
— Byron K. Jennings
In 'On the Nature of Science', Physics in Canada (Jan/Feb 2007), 63, No. 1, 13.
Science is the construction of parsimonious, internally consistent models that can reliably predict future observations.
— Byron K. Jennings
As quoted in Mark Buchanan, 'Thesis: Madness in the Method', Nature Physics (1 Feb 2009), 5, No. 2, 83.
While seeing any number of black crows does not prove all the crows are black, seeing one white crow disproves it. Thus science proceeds not by proving models correct but by discarding false ones or improving incomplete ones.
— Byron K. Jennings
In 'On the Nature of Science', Physics in Canada (Jan/Feb 2007), 63, No. 1, 7.
See also:
- In Defense of Scientism: An Insider’s View of Science, by Byron K. Jennings. - book suggestion.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
