The Tragedy of Edward Teller [antikvár]

Foreword This booklet is published by Ihe Organizers of the Second World Science Forum, Budapest, November 2005, and co-sponsored by the organizers of the academic satellite meeting Embedding Ethics in Scientific Practice and I appreciate their kind cooperation in this matter. It was not long before Edward Tellers death in September 2003 that the Organizers of the Forum invited him to address the Forum. He graciously responded with a message from which I am quoting here: I believe that I can contribute to the conference in Budapest in one way Science has a great ethical responsibility: to provide knowledge. Ethics without knowledge is as effective as a geographical exploration without a compass. In simplest terms: no knowledge means confusion. I should highly welcome an advocacy of a point of view; Knowledge is good; indeed, it constitutes the main diiference between human and animaHife—The emphasis on ethics must be considered as an independent activity, which advocates that the results of science be put to good use. Knowledge and ethics arebasicallyindependentbut their jointapplication makes each of them important. In simple words, the role of ethics begins where science and technology have opened possibilities [T]his scientific conference must support this simple axiom: knowledge is necessary for us to apply ethical principles appropriately. Dr. Edward Teller Hoover Institution, Stanford University The play in the following pages is a byproduct of a book in preparation for Oxford University Press with the tentative title, Ihe Martians: Who Changed the Twentieth Century. The play is about some aspects of Edward Tellers eventful life and the motivation behind the play is explained in the Postscript. I am saddened that Edward Teller is no longer in our midst and I Hke to think that he would have enjoyed this play