The Voice Of Genius: Conversations With Nobel Scientists And Other Luminaries

by Denis Brian, Hans Bethe (Contributor)

In this unique book, celebrated biographer Denis Brian draws on some of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century, in pursuit of their distinct views on life, knowledge, and the cosmos. A provocative and revealing interviewer, Brian weaves together the insights and personal stories of a stellar cast of Nobel Prize winners and other luminaries, including Linus Pauling's ill-fated support of Vitamin C as a cure for cancer, Ashley Montagu's explanation of why the sex drive is not innate, and various personal recollections of the making of the atomic bomb, Heisenberg's role in Nazi Germany, and the spy case of Klaus Fuchs.

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brushed over what I didn’t really care about but that was the plan all along. I LOVED hearing what all of these foundational physicists had to say. So many of them had such a beautiful view of the world.

Collected a few favs:
Pauling: “When a student asked Pauling: ‘How do you get good ideas?’ he replied, ‘You have a lot of ideas and you throw out the bad ones.’”
Feynman: “I hope you can accept nature as She is — absurd”
Weisskopf: “It’s a miracle that we are here. The fact that we can enjoy the spring. This is a miracle and a pleasure. And music!”
Bethe: Q: “Any big regrets about your work or life?” A: “Whatever went wrong, soon went right”
Wheeler: “Inquiring is what we’re here for”

Overall, a refreshing and unique read!

[Lindee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I had to read for my philosophy seminar. I thought this was really good at first, but towards the end the interviews were not as interesting. It provides a lot of insight into the political and religious views of those who developed nuclear weapons and is just an interesting historical read.