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Civilization and the Pursuit of Knowledge*

Nature volume 158, pages 148–151 (1946)Cite this article

Abstract

Science and Invention SCIENCE as the spirit of questioning is neither moral nor immoral; and its justification is in the accumulation and co-ordination of knowledge. A scientific discovery is an addition to knowledge; and an invention is an additional use of knowledge. On the principle that “Necessity is the mother of invention”, the atom bomb was manufactured as a devastating weapon of war; but it should not be assumed that scientists, any more than other groups of people, desire to be associated with the prostitution of knowledge in any form.

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  1. RICHARD GREGORY
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GREGORY, R. Civilization and the Pursuit of Knowledge*. Nature 158, 148–151 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/158148a0

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