William Whewell Quotes
William Whewell was an English polymath, scientist, and philosopher and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge for more than two decades. He coined the modern English term scientist, along with much of the working vocabulary of Victorian science. The quotes below are attributed to William Whewell, organized by topic.
William Whewell on Knowledge
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Attributed to William Whewell:
“Science is the systematic colligation of facts under a general idea.”
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Attributed to William Whewell:
“Discoveries are made by induction, but justified by deduction.”
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Attributed to William Whewell:
“We must always make the best use we can of our limited knowledge.”
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Attributed to William Whewell:
“A consilience of inductions takes place when an induction obtained from one class of facts coincides with an induction obtained from another different class.”
William Whewell on Truth
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Attributed to William Whewell:
“The fundamental antithesis of philosophy is between ideas and things.”