At Age 11 In 1960, I Moved

During The Winter My Attention Was Attracted To The Changes In The Stars And Planets In The Sky.

I Have An Idealistic View Of Science As A Liberalising And Progressive Force For Humanity.

Ever Since Sir Isaac Newton's Times, Scientists Have Worked In The Same Sort Of Way: They Show A Great Respect For Experiment And Observation, They Don't Cherry Pick Data, They Take A Skeptical Approach To What They Do. And Then Scientists Work Together To Get A Consensus As To What Should Be Believed And That Generates Very Reliable Knowledge And That Reliable Knowledge Drives Innovation

I Was Never Very Good At Exams, Having A Poor Memory And Finding The Examination Process Rather Artificial, And There Never Seemed To Be Enough Time To Follow Up Things That Really Interested Me.

This Possibility Bothered Me As I Thought It Was Not Advisable To Remain In One Academic Environment, And The Long Dark Winters In Edinburgh Could Be Rather Dismal.