Henri Poincare
Henri Poincare
Jules Henri Poincaréwas a French mathematician, theoretical physicist, engineer, and a philosopher of science. He is often described as a polymath, and in mathematics as The Last Universalist by Eric Temple Bell, since he excelled in all fields of the discipline as it existed during his lifetime...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionMathematician
Date of Birth29 April 1854
CountryFrance
house stones facts
Just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts.
facts doe language
All the scientist creates in a fact is the language in which he enunciates it. If he predicts a fact, he will employ this language, and for all those who can speak and understand it, his prediction is free from ambiguity. Moreover, this prediction once made, it evidently does not depend upon him whether it is fulfilled or not.
facts speak
Les faits ne parlent pas. Facts do not speak.
house stones facts
On fait la science avec des faits, comme on fait une maison avec des pierres; mais une accumulation de faits n'est pas plus une science qu'un tas de pierres n'est une maison. Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.
means necessary neither nor
Thus, be it understood, to demonstrate a theorem, it is neither necessary nor even advantageous to know what it means . . . .
american-journalist governed phenomenon succeeding
If that enabled us to predict the succeeding situation with the same approximation, that is all we require, and we should say that the phenomenon had been predicted, that it is governed by the laws.
avoiding consists infinite invention useful useless
Invention consists in avoiding the constructing of useless contraptions and in constructing the useful combinations which are in infinite minority. To invent is to discern, to choose.
american-journalist cannot cause determines due effect escapes notice
A very small cause which escapes our notice determines a considerable effect that we cannot fail to see, and then we say that the effect is due to chance.
american-journalist believe both convenient equally necessity
To doubt everything, or, to believe everything, are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.
american-journalist species
It has adopted the geometry most advantageous to the species or, in other words, the most convenient.
american-journalist relations remain replace
Thus, they are free to replace some objects by others so long as the relations remain unchanged.
american-journalist
No more than these machines need the mathematician know what he does.
wish different looks
If one looks at the different problems of the integral calculus which arise naturally when one wishes to go deep into the different parts of physics, it is impossible not to be struck by the analogies existing.
effort difficulty
But all of my efforts served only to make me better acquainted with the difficulty, which in itself was something.