172 ANNUAL REPORT SIMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1953 



of valid human experience in satisfying patterns that can be described 

 exactly. This attempt to fit valid experiences or facts into satisfying 

 patterns with the help of the cohesive bond of a system of logic is 

 important from three points of view. In the first place, it facilitates 

 comprehension. An established pattern is an excellent aid to memory ; 

 we can carry aronnd a great deal of knowledge merely by remembering 

 the pattern and not overburdening ourselves with isolated facts. 

 This increases the power of the human mind to comprehend its cumu- 

 lative experience; I need hardly remind you that such a pattern is 

 exemplified by the laws of thermodynamics and the theory that makes 

 possible rigorous deductions from them. This pattern embraces a 

 large fraction of the experience of chemistry and engineering. In 

 the second place, a pattern gives us a basis for understanding by bring- 

 ing out relationships among isolated facts or events. We understand 

 new experiences when we can express them in terms of experiences 

 already familiar to us. In the third place, a satisfying pattern always 

 suggests extensions of itself and, thereby, gives a sound and fertile 

 foundation for the prediction of new facts or events. In short, a 

 satisfying pattern (or theory) enables us to mobilize knowledge for 

 immediate use, not only in the domain of pure science but also in the 

 domain of applied science. 



Over the course of three centuries this quest for understanding has 

 developed a natural philosophy whose foundations have become pro- 

 gressively simpler and whose logic has grown more powerful. The 

 elements of the satisfying pattern have become simpler, its design 

 more apparent. Its realm of application has broadened from the 

 simple mechanics of Newton to cover the various branches of modern 

 phj'^sics, chemistry, and engineering, and it is rapidly embracing the 

 more chaotic experience of biology and medicine. Indeed, the pattern 

 has become more than satisf^ying; it has become compelling. When 

 our experience does not fit the pattern, our first reaction is to make 

 sure that the experience is valid and not vitiated by some instrumental 

 error or oversimplification of the conditions of observation. Some- 

 times the pattern itself must be changed radically, as occurred with 

 the introduction of the relativity theories and quantum mechanics, 

 but these changes merely enlarged the whole pattern, requiring the 

 rearrangement but not the abandonment of the existing elements of 

 design. Like a piece of fine tapestry, the pattern of natural philos- 

 ophy is made up of numerous smaller patterns, each of which has an 

 artistic consistency in itself and in its relation to others. As scientific 

 knowledge has grown, broader patterns have become apparent; 

 the detailed design has merged into a consistent whole without loss of 

 individual identity. 



