Any man whose errors take ten years to correct is quite a man.
J. Robert OppenheimerRead
In some sort of crude sense, which no vulgarity, no humor, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that physicists possess a profound understanding of ethical implications in their work, which transcends mere scientific knowledge.
In this quote, J. Robert Oppenheimer reflects on the moral responsibilities that come with scientific discovery, particularly in physics. He suggests that despite the often technical and quantitative nature of their work, physicists have an inherent awareness of the moral ramifications of their actions, especially in the context of creating powerful technologies like nuclear weapons. This awareness, which he refers to as 'sin', is a weighty understanding that they cannot escape, highlighting the intersection of science and ethics.
Themes
ScienceEthicsMoralityPhysicsResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on ethics in science, one could reference Oppenheimer's quote to emphasize the moral responsibilities of researchers.
More from J. Robert Oppenheimer
All quotes βBertrand Russell had given a talk on the then new quantum mechanics, of whose wonders he was most appreciative. He spoke hard and earnestly in the New Lecture Hall. And when he was done, Professor Whitehead, who presided, thanked him for his efforts, and not least for 'leaving the vast darkness of the subject unobscured'.
J. Robert OppenheimerRead
There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.
J. Robert OppenheimerRead
It is perfectly obvious that the whole world is going to hell. The only possible chance that it might not is that we do not attempt to prevent it from doing so.
J. Robert OppenheimerRead
Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. (quoting the Bhagavad-Gita after witnessing the first Nuclear explosion.)
J. Robert OppenheimerRead
[About the great synthesis of atomic physics in the 1920s:] It was a heroic time. It was not the doing of any one man; it involved the collaboration of scores of scientists from many different lands. But from the first to last the deeply creative, subtle and critical spirit of Niels Bohr guided, restrained, deepened and finally transmuted the enterprise.
J. Robert OppenheimerRead
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