Science began with a gadget and a trick. The gadget was the wheel; the trick was fire. We have come a long way from the two-wheel cart to the round-the-world transport plane, or from the sparking flint to man-made nuclear fission. Yet I wonder whether the inhabitants of Hiroshima were more aware of the evolution of science than ancient man facing an on-storming battle chariot.It isn't physics that will make this a better life, nor chemistry, nor sociology. Physics may be used to atom-bomb a nation and chemistry may be used to poison a city and sociology has been used to drive people and classes against classes. Science is only an instrument, no more than a stick or fire or water that can be used to lean on or light or refresh, and also can be used to flail or burn or drown. Knowledge without morals is a beast on the loose.
About This Quote
About Dagobert D. Runes, A Dictionary of Thought
Dagobert D. Runes, A Dictionary of Thought.
Themes
- Philosophy — Deep thoughts on existence, knowledge, and the nature of reality
- Science — Discovery, inquiry, and the wonders of the natural world
- War — Reflections on conflict, peace, and the human cost of war