Skip to main content

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IS A TOKEN OF HUMANKIND'S SURVIVAL - Vladimir Keilis-Borok

In the essay 'Scientific Research is a Token of Humankind’s Survival', Keilis-Borok writes about his profession as a scientist, and views that science is the humankind’s essential guardian and caretaker. According to the writer, being a scientist is more exciting than being a doctor or an engineer because a scientist gets freedom, camaraderie/friendship and independence in doing work. Then honours and promotions depends on hard work. The discovery is a reward in itself.

“Why is it that some of us still decide to become scientists, despite the fact that businessmen, lawyers, and doctors enjoy a much higher income?” Vladimir asked and answered. “A famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy once wrote that a writer is not merely a person who writes; a writer is a person who cannot live without writing. The same, I believe, is true for a scientist. Science is an exciting adventure where major rewards come from the discovery itself. What you get instead of big money is freedom, camaraderie, and independence. The honours and promotions will depend on yourself more than in the other occupations. And you will have the overwhelming feeling of uncovering yet another one of nature’s mysteries.”

There are not many scientists who consider that earthquakes can be predicted, but it was not the case with Vladimir. He always said that earthquake prediction is the Holy Grail of earthquake science. “Earthquakes can and should be predicted, although earthquake prediction is a challenging task”. Vladimir liked to quote British Prime Minister W. Churchill when he heard concerns regarding his earthquake predictions: “This is not the beginning of the end, it’s the end of the beginning”.

REFERENCES: 

Curriculum Development Centre. (2020). English Grade 11. Sanothimi, Bhaktapur: Government of Nepal, Curriculum Development Centre.

Keilis-Borok, V.I., 2004. Scientific research is a token of humankind’s survival. In: One Hundred Reasons to be a Scientist, ed. K. Sreenivasan. Trieste, Italy: ICTP, pp. 124-126.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BBS First Year English Question Paper with Possible Answers (TU 2021)

Post a Comment
Read more

The Etiquette of Freedom - Gary Snyder

  In his essay " The Etiquette of Freedom ," Gary Snyder explores the concept of freedom in relation to nature and culture. He argues that freedom is not simply the absence of constraints (restrictions), but rather the ability to live in harmony with the natural world. This requires a deep understanding of the environment and a willingness to respect its limits. Snyder begins by defining the terms " wild " and " culture ." He argues that " wild " does not mean " untamed " or " uncivilised ," but rather " self-organizing ." A wild system is one that is able to maintain its own equilibrium (balance) without the intervention of humans. Culture, on the other hand, is a human-made system that is designed to meet our needs. Snyder then goes on to discuss the relationship between freedom and culture. He argues that our culture has become increasingly alienated from nature and that this has led to a loss of freedom. We have
Post a Comment
Read more

PROFESSIONS FOR WOMEN - Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Summary : Virginia Adeline Woolf (1882-1941) was an English novelist and essayist, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. She was one of the leaders in the literary movement of modernism.  The speech of  Professions for Women  was given in 1931 to the Women’s Service League by Virginia Woolf. It was also included in  Death of a Moth  and  Other Essays  in 1942. Throughout the speech, Virginia Woolf brings forward a problem that is still relevant today:  gender inequality .   Woolf’s main point in this essay was to bring awareness to the phantoms (illusions) and obstacles women face in their jobs. Woolf argues that women must overcome special obstacles to become successful in their careers. She describes two hazards she thinks all women who aspire to professional life must overcome: their tendency to sacrifice their own interests to those of others and their reluctance (hesitancy) to challenge conservative male attitudes .  She starts her
Post a Comment
Read more