看板上讨论神9热火朝天,也转个帖子
Robert Rathbun Wilson,曼哈顿计划里面的一个小头目,费米实验室的创建者,当他要国会给两亿美元做加速器的时候(不来顿森林前的1969年,美元还是和黄金挂钩的真金白银的时候),政府的负责讨钱的人Pastore询问讨钱的人Wilson
大致翻译前后两句就是,
Pastore:“加速器有可能会对我们国家的国防起任何作用么?” Wilson: “不,我认为不会。” Pastore:“难道一点都不能?” Wilson:“一点都不能。” ......... Pastore:“这个项目能让我们在和苏联的竞赛中更有竞争力么?” Wilson:“……这个项目关系的民族的荣誉,……,这个项目不能保卫这个国家,但它让这个国家值得我们去保卫。”
The builder of Fermi lab, R.R. Wilson, perhaps explained best why studying fundamental physics is so important in his testimony before the Congress of the United States in 1969. Congress was looking for some sort of justification in spending $200 million. What follows is an excert from Wilson's testimony before the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy.
Pastore: Is there anything connected in the hopes of this accelerator that in any way involves the security of this country? Wilson: No sir; I do not believe so. Pastore: Nothing at all? Wilson: Nothing at all. Pastore: It has no value in that respect? Wilson: It only has to do with the respect with which we regard one another, the dignity of men, our love of culture. It has to do with those things. It has nothing to do with the military, I am sorry. Pastore: Don't be sorry for it. Wilson: I am not, but I cannot in honesty say it has any such application. Pastore: Is there anything here that projects us in a position of being competitive with the Russians, with regard to this race? Wilson: Only from a long-range point of view, of a developing technology. Otherwise, it has to do with: Are we good painters, good sculptors, great poets? I mean all the things that we really venerate and honor in our country and are patriotic about. In that sense, this new knowledge has all to do with honor and country but it has nothing to do directly with defending our country, except to make it worth defending.
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