○  加州理工院长98任职演说  ○

tiesandthesciences.thequestionmightbewhetherby
   focusingonscienceandtechnology,caltechhewstoeternaltruths,
   orwhethertheself-criticismthattheintellectualworldhas
   embracedinthelastdecadeshasilledoverintoourbastionof
   rationality.theawerisuectmostwouldgivehereisthat
   whiletheculturewarsandthesciencewarshavebeenfuriously
   engagedonthestreetsofberkeley,newhaven,cambridge,and
   paris,inpasadenatheprogreofsciencecontinuesquietlyand
   unabated.notthatwedon''treflectonouractivitiesorevenhave
   ourparticipantsinthewarwehaveallofthat.it''sjustthat
   wehaveaolutesinwhichwebelieve.wehaveaolutezeroonthe
   temperaturescale,weknowthatnothingexceedstheeedoflight.

itisinterestingtocontemplatewhatwouldhaenifour
   astronomersmeasuredaredshiftindicatingthatagalaxywas
   recedingfromusfasterthantheeedoflight.orifwesomehow
   recordedatemperatureofaolutezero,ormadeaperpetualmotion
   machine.inthesesituatio,theexperimentwouldreceivethe
   deepestscrutinyandonlyintheunlikelycasethatitsurvived
   wouldtheorycomeintoquestion.remembercoldfusion.butweare
   willingtoquestionouraolutes.ouraolutesarenotso
   aolute--theyawaitanexperimentthatcontradictsthem.theyare
   tentativeaolutes,andwearecomfortablewiththem,needingno
   dailyreminderofthethreatthateachexperimentposestoour
   comfort.thatisthecultureofscience,anditisaecial
   culturethatwelivewith,weteach,andwebelieveinalmostasa
   religion.itisaculturethatisincompreheibletothosewho
   havenotmanipulatedtheconceptsofscience.itiulatesusfrom
   manyoftheself-doubtsofthelargerintellectualworldandallows
   ustomoveforward.

however,weshouldnotbe

上一页  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]  ... 下一页  >>