We are more dependent on science and engineering than at any other time in history. However, there is plenty of evidence that far too many people are scientifically illiterate, often having been put off science at school.
Robert WinstonRead
Nearly all inventions are not recognised for their positive side either when they're made. So, for example, scientists didn't go out to design a CD machine: they designed a laser. But we got all sorts of things from a laser which we never remotely imagined, and we're still finding things for a laser to do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Inventions often reveal unexpected benefits beyond their original purpose.
This quote emphasizes how many inventions are initially unrecognized for their potential advantages, as people often focus solely on their immediate use rather than their broad implications. Robert Winston illustrates this by referencing the invention of the laser, which was originally designed for one purpose but has since led to a plethora of unforeseen applications and innovations, highlighting the unpredictable nature of scientific discovery and technological advancement.
Themes
InventionScienceLaserInnovationUnexpectedCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on technological advancements, one might refer to this quote to illustrate how many innovations come with unexpected benefits.
More from Robert Winston
All quotes →Of course it is a very simple matter to identify genes which might modify intelligence or memory and start thinking about whether you want to enhance a human, and the next generation is going to have to deal with that issue. Should we be trying to enhance humans rather than trying to educate them and so on?
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In reality, both religion and science are expressions of man's uncertainty. Perhaps the paradox is that certainty, whether it be in science or religion, is dangerous.
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We can't any longer have the conventional understanding of genetics which everybody peddles because it is increasingly obvious that epigenetics - actually things which influence the genome's function - are much more important than we realised.
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It's extraordinary to think that if you walked into a room and said you had never heard of Hamlet, you would be regarded as a Philistine. But you could walk into the same room and say, 'I don't know what a proton is,' and people would just laugh and say, 'Why should you know?'
Robert WinstonRead
Some people, both scientists and religious people, deal with uncertainty by being certain. That is dangerous in the fundamentalists and it is dangerous in the fundamentalist scientists.
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