The quote compares various scientific disciplines to the floors of a tall building, illustrating their hierarchical nature. At the foundation, logic serves as the essential base, followed by mathematics as a critical tool for the sciences above. As one moves up through the building, fields like particle physics and other branches of physics and chemistry occupy the middle floors, indicating their reliance on the more foundational sciences.

At the higher levels, the social sciences, including psychology and sociology, are placed, with economics sitting at the very top in the penthouse. This arrangement suggests that as disciplines become more complex and abstract, they build upon the theories and principles derived from the more fundamental sciences, emphasizing the interconnectedness and progression within the scientific hierarchy.