This article is from the Quotations FAQ, by Sir Hans dok@fwi.uva.nl Jason Newquist jrnewquist@ucdavis.edu with numerous contributions by others.
Arthur C. Clarke (1917-)
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When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is
possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something
is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
"Profiles of the Future" (1962; rev. 1973)
``Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination''
Clarke's First Law
On which he commented:
Perhaps the adjective ``elderly'' requires definition. In physics,
mathematics, and astronautics it means over thirty; in the other
disciplines, senile decay is sometimes postponed to the forties. There
are, of course, glorious exceptions; but as every researcher just out
of college knows, scientists of over fifty are good for nothing but
board meetings, and should at all costs be kept out of the laboratory!
"Profiles of the Future" (1962; rev. 1973)
``Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination''
But the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to
venture a little way past them into the impossible.
"Profiles of the Future" (1962; rev. 1973)
``Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination''
Clarke's Second Law
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
"Profiles of the Future" (1962; rev. 1973)
``Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination''
Clarke's Third Law
The third one especially has been the unlucky victim of many ``funny''
alterations. Which we've all seen before in alt.quotations many times.
Clarke adds: As three laws were good enough for Newton, I have modestly
decided to stop there.
A post with the ``first law'' invariably gets followed up with one
mentioning this:
When, however, the lay public rallies round an idea that is
denounced by distinguished but elderly scientists and supports that
idea with great fervor and emotion--the distinguished but elderly
scientists are then, after all, probably right.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)
"Fantasy & Science Fiction" 1977 [magazine]
In answer to Clarke's First Law
 
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