Physics As We Know It

It Is Natural That A Man Should Consider The Work Of His Hands Or His Brain To Be Useful And Important. Therefore Nobody Will Object To An Ardent Experimentalist Boasting Of His Measurements And Rather Looking Down On The 'paper And Ink' Physics Of His Theoretical Friend, Who On His Part Is Proud Of His Lofty Ideas And Despises The Dirty Fingers Of The Other. Experiment And Theory In Physics

To Present A Scientific Subject In An Attractive And Stimulating Manner Is An Artistic Task, Similar To That Of A Novelist Or Even A Dramatic Writer. The Same Holds For Writing Textbooks.

Those Who Say That The Study Of Science Makes A Man An Atheist, Must Be Rather Silly People.

It Is A Fascinating Fact That Father And Son Have Given The Most Striking Evidence For The Apparently Contradictory Properties Of The Electron: The Father Proving Its Character As A Particle, The Son Its Character As A Wave... Thomson Was Extremely Proud Of His Son's Success And Tried To Assimilate The New Results Into His Old Convictions.

But In Practical Affairs, Particularly In Politics, Men Are Needed Who Combine Human Experience And Interest In Human Relations With A Knowledge Of Science And Technology. Moreover, They Must Be Men Of Action And Not Contemplation. I Have The Impression That No Method Of Education Can Produce People With All The Qualities Required. I Am Haunted By The Idea That This Break In Human Civilization, Caused By The Discovery Of The Scientific Method, May Be Irreparable.