Futility Closet

Haldane on Scientific Acceptance

Posted in Science & Math by Greg Ross on October 31st, 2005

J.B.S. Haldane's "four stages of acceptance" of a scientific theory:

  1. This is worthless nonsense.
  2. This is an interesting, but perverse, point of view.
  3. This is true, but quite unimportant.
  4. I always said so.