ad hoc suppositions." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
Ch. 8: "The Quantum Theory", p. 189
“

All science must start with some assumptions as to the ultimate analysis of the facts with which it deals. These assumptions are justified partly by their adherence to the types of occurrence of which we are directly conscious, and partly by their success in representing the observed facts with a certain generality, devoid of ad hoc suppositions.

— Alfred North Whitehead

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "All science must start with some assumptions as to the ultimate analysis of the facts with which it deals. These assumptions are justified partly by their adherence to the types of occurrence of which we are directly conscious, and partly by their success in representing the observed facts with a certain generality, devoid of ad hoc suppositions." in the context of "Ch. 8: "The Quantum Theory", p. 189" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Alfred North Whitehead" (Quotes, 1920s, Science and the Modern World (1925): Science and the Modern World: Lowell Lectures, 1925 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1925)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#Alfred North Whitehead#assumptions#partly#facts#representing#suppositions#occurrence#generality#justified#adherence#conscious#ultimate
Alfred North Whitehead

About Alfred North Whitehead

Alfred North Whitehead, OM (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found application to a wide variety of disciplines, including ecology, theology, education, physics, biology, economics, and psychology, among other areas.