# Clarke’s Law When a elder preeminent scientist says that something is impossible, he’s probably wrong. When a elder preeminent scientist says something might be possible, he’s probably right. Clarke’s law could be a good place to dig for constraints because people are very good at encoding constraints in fields where they are experts but it takes constant effort to pay attention to where they are relaxed. Originally from [[Arthur C. Clarke]] ### Related * [[Clarke’s Second Law]] - the only way to figure out what is impossible is to venture outside the limits of the possible * [[Clarke’s Third Law]] - any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic <!-- #mental-model #evergreen --> [Web URL for this note](http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Clarke’s+Law) [Comment on this note](http://via.hypothes.is/http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Clarke’s+Law)