Fred Hoyle

“The transformation from wild terror to calmness seems entirely magical … the bird watches you with a bright eye … you throw up your arms and release the bird, and away it soars. I feel it should be like that with ideas.” -Hoyle

Fred Hoyle’s story is a classic example of how unpredictable life is, no matter who you are or whatever your profession might be. It’s also an example of how in one’s lifetime, you may have achieved numerous things and may have contributed to the society in very positive ways, but in the end they will remember you for the things you did wrong. Think of the inkblot on a blank paper. Thinking of the role of scientists in science, it made me realize that they serve as mere catalysts. They ignite interest in a particular field and they try to find out as much as they can. If they are able to achieve what other people think as a scientific breakthrough then they are given attention. Still, you can easily make a fool out of yourself by announcing a hypothesis not backed up by scientific proof that will sway the stubborn minds of the majority. Scientists are mere instruments and even if you may have contributed more in the study of a certain field, if you didn’t get into the bottom of things, then you’re not gonna be as honored and respected as the one who was able to explain it in detail.

I believe that scientists have the freedom to express whatever they believe in, may it be their discovery or results of their intensive studies. They should still remember that they have the responsibility not only as scientists but even as human beings to be as truthful and as accurate as they can be. The pressure’s greater because since a scientist is dealing with something scientific, his claims should be as precise as it can possibly be.

Quoting something from an article I read online.. “What made Fred Hoyle such a fascinating figure in big-time cosmology was that he combined the accomplishments and understandings of the century’s elite - think Einstein, Bohr, Feynman - with proposals associated with cranks. In mainstream science, he helped construct one set of theories that looks spectacularly right, and another set that looks just as spectacularly wrong.” As expected, he was remembered for the spectacularly wrong things he exposed. But then again, “The heroes of 20th century cosmology have all had their quirks. Einstein famously rejected quantum theory. Feynman was a wild man. Stephen Hawking recently recommended that human genetic engineering should proceed because otherwise robots may take over the world. Of one thing we may be certain: the Universe is much stranger than the quirks of the cosmologists who attempt to explain it.”