48 Martin Rees Quotes for You to Enjoy

Martin Rees

British Scientist

Born: Jun 23, 1942

Life People Science Space Will World

Related authors: Alfred Russel Wallace Arthur Eddington Derek Harold Richard Barton Gregory Bateson Humphry Davy John Sulston Mary Leakey Thomas Browne

The advance of science spares us from irrational dread. Martin Rees

Science Dread Advance Irrational Spares Us

The scientists who attack mainstream religion, rather than striving for peaceful coexistence with it, damage science, and also weaken the fight against fundamentalism. Martin Rees

Religion Science Fight Weaken Striving Rather Attack Mainstream Also Scientists Than Against Who Peaceful Coexistence Fundamentalism Damage

The practical case for manned spacef light gets ever-weaker with each advance in robots and miniaturisation - indeed, as a scientist or practical man, I see little purpose in sending people into space at all. But as a human being, I'm an enthusiast for manned missions. Martin Rees

Space doesn't offer an escape from Earth's problems. And even with nuclear fuel, the transit time to nearby stars exceeds a human lifetime. Interstellar travel is therefore, in my view, an enterprise for post-humans, evolved from our species not via natural selection, but by design. Martin Rees

Time Travel Natural Space Problems Design Stars Our Earth Enterprise Evolved Selection Lifetime Escape Offer Via Human Transit Fuel Natural Selection View Therefore Even Species Nearby Nuclear

The first voyagers to the stars will be creatures whose life cycle is matched to the voyage: the aeons involved in traversing the galaxy are not daunting to immortal beings. By the end of the third millennium, travel to other stars could be technically feasible. But would there be sufficient motive? Martin Rees

Life Travel Technically Will First Stars Other Would Immortal Feasible Daunting Could Involved Voyage Matched Motive End Galaxy Cycle Beings Whose Creatures Sufficient Millennium Third

Post-human intelligence will develop hypercomputers with the processing power to simulate living things - even entire worlds. Perhaps advanced beings could use hypercomputers to surpass the best 'special effects' in movies or computer games so vastly that they could simulate a world, fully, as complex as the one we perceive ourselves to be in. Martin Rees

Best Intelligence World Will Power Living Worlds Complex Ourselves Entire Perceive Vastly Could Computer Develop Advanced Simulate Perhaps Surpass Effects Processing Movies Use Games Special Special Effects Fully Beings Even Things

I have no religious belief myself, but I don't think we should fight about it. In particular, I think that we should not rubbish moderate religious leaders like the Archbishop of Canterbury because I think we all agree that extreme fundamentalism is a threat, and we need all the allies we can muster against it. Martin Rees

Myself Fight Think Rubbish Extreme Muster Religious Religious Belief Threat Religious Leaders Archbishop About Allies Leaders Particular Like Because Moderate Against Canterbury Should Agree Belief Fundamentalism Need

To most people in the U.K., indeed throughout Western Europe, space exploration is primarily perceived as 'what NASA does'. This perception is - in many respects - a valid one. Superpower rivalry during the Cold War ramped up U.S. and Soviet space efforts to a scale that Western Europe had no motive to match. Martin Rees

War People Space Perception Cold Cold War Valid Indeed Respects Scale Perceived Superpower Throughout Rivalry Had Primarily Most Match Does NASA Motive Western Up Western Europe Efforts Soviet Space Exploration Exploration Europe Many Many Respects

Manufacturing doesn't just mean building cars and metal-bashing; it includes making pharmaceuticals and hi-tech electronics. A crucial part of the process is the research and development that allows better and greener products to come to market. Britain has traditionally had a strong science and engineering base. Martin Rees

Science Strong Better Car Building Engineering Research Market Crucial Had Part Development Come Making Greener Just Process Mean Products Manufacturing Electronics Base Britain

When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.' Usually, they will claim to be tackling a very specific problem - a small piece of the jigsaw that builds up the big picture. Martin Rees

Problem Cancer Will Picture Big Universe Jigsaw Claim Response Finding Seeking Tackling Small Seldom Small Piece Piece Builds Scientists Up Very Cure Big Picture Asked Working Origin Specific

In the case of climate change, the threat is long-term and diffuse and requires broad international action for the benefit of people decades in the future. And in politics, the urgent always trumps the important, and that is what makes it a very difficult and challenging issue. Martin Rees

Politics Future Change People Important Action Difficult Diffuse Benefit Broad Threat Case Long-Term Makes Always Climate Climate Change Issue Very Decades Urgent Requires International Challenging

It is foolish to claim, as some do, that emigration into space offers a long-term escape from Earth's problems. Nowhere in our solar system offers an environment even as clement as the Antarctic or the top of Everest. Martin Rees

Space Problems Solar Our Solar System Earth Top Claim System Some Emigration Foolish Environment Long-Term Escape Offers Even Nowhere Everest

Indeed, our everyday world presents intellectual challenges just as daunting as those of the cosmos and the quantum, and that is where 99 per cent of scientists focus their efforts. Even the smallest insect, with its intricate structure, is far more complex than either an atom or a star. Martin Rees

Challenges World Focus Everyday Our Indeed Complex Those Intricate Insect Atom Per Cosmos Structure More Daunting Smallest Quantum Scientists Intellectual Than Efforts Just Where Cent Either Far Even Star Presents

I would support peaceful co-existence between religion and science because they concern different domains. Anyone who takes theology seriously knows that it's not a matter of using it to explain things that scientists are mystified by. Martin Rees

In future, children won't perceive the stars as mere twinkling points of light: they'll learn that each is a 'Sun', orbited by planets fully as interesting as those in our Solar system. Martin Rees

Future Light Solar Stars Our Solar System Sun Those System Perceive Points Mere Learn Children Interesting Planets Fully Each Twinkling

I'm not myself religious but have no wish to insult or denigrate those who are. Martin Rees

Myself Wish Those Religious Insult Denigrate Who

Devastation could arise insidiously, rather than suddenly, through unsustainable pressure on energy supplies, food, water and other natural resources. Indeed, these pressures are the prime 'threats without enemies' that confront us. Martin Rees

Food Natural Water Enemies Pressure Energy Other Resources Indeed Pressures Threats Rather Could Through Devastation Arise Supplies Prime Unsustainable Without Than Confront Natural Resources Us Suddenly

We need to broaden our sympathies both in space and time - and perceive ourselves as part of a long heritage, and stewards for an immense future. Martin Rees

Future Time Space Long Heritage Our Broaden Immense Ourselves Perceive Both Part Stewards Space And Time Need Sympathies

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