“The general public has long been divided into two parts; those who think that science can do anything and those who are afraid it will.”

—  Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon

Source: Mason & Dixon

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Thomas Pynchon photo
Thomas Pynchon134
American novelist 1937

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Variant translation: A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.
Context: I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale. We should not allow it to be believed that all scientific progress can be reduced to mechanisms, machines, gearings, even though such machinery also has its beauty.
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