James Burke - Scientists are the true driving force of civilization

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James Burke quote Scientists are the true driving force of civilization

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“The scientists and the technologists … are the true driving force of humanity.”

— James Burke

From TV program Connections (1979), Ep. 10.

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Context of quote “Scientists are the true driving force of civilization”

In his 1979 TV series, Connections, James Burke presented a seemingly rambling path through the history of science and technology. He intended that he would not follow any familiar linear path progressing inevitably as one discovery or invention was skillfully and intentionally developed to the next level until the present. Instead, his innovative style was to weave together separate threads cross-linking and zig-zagging between the events, circumstances, accidents and serendipity that triggered and influenced the discoveries and inventions. Burke showed how ultimately, they combined to advance the science and technology that has so much changed civilization.

The final episode of ten hour-long programmes was titled “Yesterday, Tomorrow and You.”1 He summarized the main themes from the preceding episodes, and ended with philosphical conclusions and an outlook for the future. He said:

“The key to why things change is the key to everything. How easy is it for knowledge to spread? And that, in the past, the people who made change happen, were the people who had that knowledge, whether they were craftsmen, or kings. Today, the people who make things change, the people who have that knowledge, are the scientists and the technologists, who are the true driving force of humanity.”

Then he expressed his opinion that the views presented by art, music and literature that appeal to human emotions, were interpretions of the world that are merely reflections of the person producing them. By contrast, he stated:

“Scientific knowledge is hard to take, because it removes the reassuring crutches of opinion, ideology, and leaves only what is demonstrably true about the world.”

The webmaster has not found a primary source for a verbatim version of the short quote at the top of this page, which was found on the web.2 Until then, he believes the quote is an effective paraphrase of the sentiments expressed in the above narration.

1 At time of writing, the Connections series is available on Youtube.
2 Cosmic Search (Fall 1981), 3 No. 4, 18.

Context written by Webmaster, with reference to the Connections episode that contains the source of the quote. (source)

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See also:

Science Quotes by James Burke.
22 Dec - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Burke's birth.
James Burke - context of quote “Scientists are the true driving force of civilization” - Medium image (500 x 350 px)

Nature bears long with those who wrong her. She is patient under abuse. But when abuse has gone too far, when the time of reckoning finally comes, she is equally slow to be appeased and to turn away her wrath. (1882) -- Nathaniel Egleston, who was writing then about deforestation, but speaks equally well about the danger of climate change today.

Carl Sagan: In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) ...(more by Sagan)

Albert Einstein: I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative. Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could think was “It won the fight!” ...(more by Einstein)

Richard Feynman: It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with the algebra correctly. ...(more by Feynman)