John Desmond Bernal
John Desmond Bernal
John Desmond Bernal FRSwas a scientist and was a pioneer in X-ray crystallography in molecular biology. He also published extensively on the history of science. In addition, Bernal was a political supporter of Communism and wrote popular books on subjects connecting science and society...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth10 May 1901
CountryIreland
science birth certain
We are still too close to the birth of the universe to be certain about its death.
science shrinking mysterious
The region of the mysterious is rapidly shrinking.
giving-up simple stupidity
In fact, we will have to give up taking things for granted, even the apparently simple things. We have to learn to understand nature and not merely to observe it and endure what it imposes on us. Stupidity, from being an amiable individual defect, has become a social crime.
life men want
Men will not be content to manufacture life: they will want to improve on it.
life plato appreciated
The beauty of life is, therefore, geometrical beauty of a type that Plato would have much appreciated.
funny-inspirational learning ignorance
The full area of ignorance is not mapped. We are at present only exploring the fringes.
dream sex sight
Hunger and sex still dominate the primitive mammalian side of human existence, but at the present time it looks as if humanity were within sight of their satisfaction. Permanent plenty, no longer a Utopian dream, awaits the arrival of permanent peace.
moving pride science
We academic scientists move within a certain sphere, we can go on being useless up to a point, in the confidence that sooner or later some use will be found for our studies. The mathematician, of course, prides himself on being totally useless, but usually turns out to be the most useful of the lot. He finds the solution but he is not interested in what the problem is: sooner or later, someone will find the problem to which his solution is the answer.
long way bitter
The only way of learning the method of science is the long and bitter way of personal experience.
extend impulse muscular nerve retention second
Anticipation of movement, through muscular innervation and memory, by its retention of nerve impulse images, extend the present to the limit of a second or so.
becomes elements employ factory greater increasing laboratory outside purely resemble routine technical tends
As experimentation becomes more complex, the need for the co-operation in it of technical elements from outside becomes greater and the modern laboratory tends increasingly to resemble the factory and to employ in its service increasing numbers of purely routine workers.
cannot clear course stopping sure
It is pretty clear that they are ineffective in stopping the course of thought at present, but they have not always been so in the past and we cannot be sure that they will not be so in the future.
affect confusion creative events hinder obvious peace prolonged social whether
Political and social events must also be effective, but not in a very obvious fashion. But political confusion and prolonged peace undoubtedly affect creative thought but whether they respectively hinder or help it is not at all certain.
attempt cannot directed employing forced independence obstacle overcome risking serious shall workers
We shall be forced to attempt planned and directed research employing hundreds of workers for many years, and this cannot be done without risking the loss of independence and originality. This is a serious and fundamental obstacle but it may be overcome in two ways.