The basic idea of Western science is that you don't have to take into account the falling of a leaf on some planet in another galaxy when you're trying to account for the motion of a billiard ball on a pool table on earth. Very small influences can be neglected. There's a convergence in the way things work, and arbitrarily small influences don't blow up to have arbitrarily large effects.
James GleickWe say that time passes, time goes by, and time flows. Those are metaphors. We also think of time as a medium in which we exist.
James GleickChildren and scientists share an outlook on life. If I do this, what will happen? is both the motto of the child at play and the defining refrain of the physical scientist. ... The unfamiliar and the strange - these are the domain of all children and scientists.
James GleickThe Internet is like a town that leaves its streets unmarked on the principle that people who don't already know don't belong
James Gleick