Wilhelm Ostwald
He made significant contributions to catalysis, chemical equilibria, and reaction velocities, winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Most quoted
"All scientific work is incomplete — whether it be observational or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified by advancing knowledge. That does not confer upon us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we already have, or to postpone the action that it appears to demand at a given time."
— from Essays
"The true method of discovery is like the flight of an aeroplane. It starts from the ground of particular observation; it makes a flight in the thin air of imaginative generalization; and it again lands for renewed observation rendered acute by rational interpretation."
— from The Philosophy of Science
"The laws of thermodynamics control, in the last resort, the rise and fall of political systems, the freedom or bondage of nations, the movements of commerce and industry, the origins of wealth and poverty, and the general physical welfare of the human race."
— from Der energetische Imperativ, 1912
All quotes by Wilhelm Ostwald (387)
The 'thing-in-itself' is unknowable; only its energetic manifestations are accessible to us.
The principle of the conservation of energy is the highest law of nature.
The task of science is to establish quantitative relationships between different forms of energy.
The concept of 'force' is a relic of animistic thinking.
The only reality is change, and change is energy transformation.
The 'ether' is an unnecessary hypothesis.
The future of science lies in the unification of all phenomena under the concept of energy.
The scientific method is the only path to true knowledge.
The most important task of education is to teach people to think energetically.
The 'vital force' is a mystical concept that has no place in science.
The concept of 'substance' is a hindrance to scientific progress.
The only true knowledge is quantitative knowledge.
The development of science is a continuous process of replacing qualitative descriptions with quantitative laws.
The 'absolute' is a meaningless concept in science.
The only reality we can know is the reality of our sensations and their energetic connections.
The 'soul' is a complex of psychic energies.
The purpose of life is to increase the efficiency of energy transformations.
The concept of 'free will' is an illusion; all actions are determined by energetic conditions.
The 'good' is that which promotes the efficient use of energy.
The 'beautiful' is that which exhibits harmonious energetic relationships.
Contemporaries of Wilhelm Ostwald
Other Chemistrys born within 50 years of Wilhelm Ostwald (1853–1932).