Edward Law Ellenborough Quotes
One must not put manacles upon science.
The justice was ruling that copyright did not preclude fair use by others for educational and scientific purposes.
Edward Law Ellenborough, 1750-1818, Lord Chief Justice of England, Carey v. Kearsley, 1803
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The Scientific Project that developed the Atomic Bomb. Oppenheimer was the great physicist who directed the successful development of the atomic bomb so as to build the weapon before Hitler did in World War II. However, as the technology evolved, he had doubts as to the wisdom of creating even more powerful hydrogen weapons. His viewpoint was hurting the administration’s policy of rapid unlimited nuclear weapons development, and he was the victim of a character assassination whereby his security clearance was withdrawn. The “father” of the atomic bomb was the first American casualty of atomic weapons development.
In many nations, including the United States on occasion, governments have made laws as to what is valid science and what is not. Tennessee and other Bible-Belt States have and still do on occasion. The latest being Evolution, which even in the beginning of the 21st century, Kansas determined that it was not proven science, when it is as proven as any science has ever gotten.
Astronomy and physics were followed by chemistry and then geology and biology, and more recently we have genetics, in vitro fertilization and cloning.
Islamic modernists like Serageldin are many among the educated Muslims but their views are often drowned out by the violence and extremist statements of the fundamentalists. Ironically, the necessary intellectual freedom existed in the Islamic world one thousand years ago and Islamic science and other learning was as advanced as any and superior to most including the Christians.
Bush and some religious fundamentalists believe that even a fertilized human egg cell created for in vitro fertilization and not needed, is an incipient life. As such they oppose any use of these cells for anything but procreation of human life, and many oppose the concept of in vitro fertilization completely as it involves the killing and trivialization of life. Most Americans disagree and want to use the excess of fertilized eggs for research and help prolong and sustain life.
The societies that had regularly produced the great advances in the sciences were those that allowed its citizens much liberty—liberty of thought, expression, association, etc. Where religious dogma controlled thought and expression, great scientific achievements were far less probable or less productive. Imagine, what Galileo might have achieved if the Church had not curtailed his efforts. When Islamic society was open, the sciences flourished whereas they were stifled in Christian Europe, but once Islam closed and liberty was no more, Islamic science degenerated to its low point of the 21st century.
Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough, PC, KC, FSA, was an English judge. After serving as a member of parliament and Attorney General, he became Lord Chief Justice.
