Speaking Wednesday night at Harvard, James Watson, the co-discoverer of DNA, was asked by NPR’s Robert Krulwich: “Can a gentle person do well in science?” His response: “Jesus would not have succeeded.” Sad commentary, and it’s the type of comment that you’d expect from Watson. But it’s also somewhat disproved by the career of E.O. Wilson, who shared the stage with Watson that night. You can get more coverage of this conversation over at the NewScientist.
In the meantime, check out our Science Podcast Collection, which includes Krulwich’s program, Radio Lab. These podcasts are also available on our free iPhone app.
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I wonder about the perception (and I am assuming his meaning here) that Jesus was gentle. There was the spitting, throwing people out of the temple, etc. He was definitely active.
Yeah, Watson’s too much of an attention seeker these days.
He sometimes valid points and I can understand his need to speak his mind, but everyone needs to censor themselves sometimes.
Why is James Watson still getting speaking engagements?
Watson exhibits a peculiarly juvenile emotional sensibility. (His statements here about Crick’s car and women are typical.) And when he speaks about science he often speaks in terms of raw ambition (professional competition and so forth). Frankly I don’t think he can help it. He’s a brilliant scientist but an odd duck.