Thers is this wonderful iconoclast at Rutgers, Doron Zeilberger, who says that our mathematics is the result of a random walk, by which he means what WE call mathematics. Likewise, I think, for the sciences.
Ian HackingBy legend and perhaps by nature philosophers are more accustomed to the armchair than the workbench.
Ian HackingIf you were just intent on killing people you could do better with a bomb made of agricultural fertiliser.
Ian HackingEvery once in a while, something happens to you that makes you realise that the human race is not quite as bad as it so often seems to be.
Ian HackingThe important thing is to be able to understand anyone who has something useful to say. - There is a general moral here. Be very careful and very clear about what you say. But do not be dogmatic about your own language. Be prepared to express any careful thought in the language your audience will understand. And be prepared to learn from someone who talks a language with which you are not familiar.
Ian Hacking