Dissent Quotes by John Charles Polanyi

The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…

— John Charles Polanyi

In the late 1950s a major topic under discussion was whether Canada should acquire nuclear weapons.

— John Charles Polanyi

Though neglectful of their responsibility to protect science, scientists are increasingly aware of their responsibility to society.

— John Charles Polanyi

Some dreamers demand that scientists only discover things that can be used for good.

— John Charles Polanyi

[Intellectual courage is] the quality that allows one to believe in one's judgement in the face of disappointment and widespread skepticism. Intellectual courage is…

— John Charles Polanyi

It takes a trained and discerning researcher to keep the goal in sight, and to detect evidence of the creeping progress toward it.

— John Charles Polanyi

Individual scientists like myself - and many more conspicuous - pointed to the dangers of radioactive fallout over Canada if we were to launch…

— John Charles Polanyi

At the heart of science lies discovery which involves a change in worldview. Discovery in science is possible only in societies which accord their…

— John Charles Polanyi

Science exists, moreover, only as a journey toward troth. Stifle dissent and you end that journey.

— John Charles Polanyi

Science never gives up searching for truth, since it never claims to have achieved it.

— John Charles Polanyi

The applause is a celebration not only of the actors but also of the audience. It constitutes a shared moment of delight.

— John Charles Polanyi

Nothing is more irredeemably irrelevant than bad science.

— John Charles Polanyi