Many people and governments share the mistaken belief that science, with new, ingenious devices and techniques, can rescue us from the troubles we face without our having to mend our ways and change our patterns of activity. This is not so.
Interpretation
Science cannot solve our problems without significant changes in human behavior and actions.
Henry W. Kendall emphasizes that relying solely on scientific advancements to solve societal issues is misguided. He argues that meaningful progress requires individuals and governments to reflect on and alter their behaviors and practices, rather than expecting technology alone to provide solutions to the challenges we face.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the ethical responsibilities of scientists in society.
A careful analysis of the process of observation in atomic physics has shown that the subatomic particles have no meaning as isolated entities, but can only be understood as interconnections between the preparation of an experiment and the subsequent measurement.
The revolution which began with the creation of quantum theory and relativity theory can only be finished with their unification into a single theory that can give us a single, comprehensive picture of nature.
Very many maintain that all we know is still infinitely less than all that still remains unknown.
I would... establish the conviction that Chemistry, as an independent science, offers one of the most powerful means towards the attainment of a higher mental cultivation; that the study of Chemistry is profitable, not only inasmuch as it promotes the material interests of mankind, but also because it furnishes us with insight into those wonders of creation which immediately surround us, and with which our existence, life, and development, are most closely connected.
I am actually weary of telling people that I do not pretend to adduce [direct] evidence of one species changing into another, but I believe that this view is in the main correct, because so many phenomena can thus be grouped end explained.
This is a basic problem, to feed 6.6 billion people. Without fertilizer, forget it. The game is over.
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