A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up familiar with it.
Eine neue wissenschaftliche Wahrheit pflegt sich nicht in der Weise durchzusetzen, daß ihre Gegner überzeugt werden und sich als belehrt erklären, sondern vielmehr dadurch, daß ihre Gegner allmählich aussterben und daß die heranwachsende Generation von vornherein mit der Wahrheit vertraut gemacht ist.
Scientists
Max Planck
German physicist born in 1858 who introduced the energy quantum, launching quantum theory. Won the 1918 Nobel Prize. Planck's constant h underpins all of quantum mechanics.
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Max Planck's Other Quotes
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