283 



"We can understand the origin and evolution of life itself only when we under- 

 stand the origin and the evolution of our universe. And before we can do this, we 

 must understand the fundamental structure of matter." 



"I .submit that many of our most productive young scientists today are in high- 

 energy physics * * *." 



Paxofsky. "* * * Control of our natural environment will depend more on our 

 understanding of the basic laws of nature than on conventional exploration." 



"It would indeed violate all our past experience in the progress of science if 

 nature had created a family of phenomena which governs the behavior of ele- 

 mentary particles without at the same time establishing any links between these 

 phenomena and the large-scale world which is built from these very particles." 



"There was a time when nuclear physics was just as remote as high-energy 

 phy.sics is today." 



High-energy physics "* * * involves many interactions with technology" be- 

 cause it "demands tools which exceed the limits of existing art and because the 

 scientists * * * are willing to work both on improving their tools as well as using 

 these tools for research." 



"* * * High-energy physicists are providing a pool of capable and experienced 

 individuals who when called upon can cope with demanding problems outside 

 their specialty." 



PiORE. The issue was "* * * whether the field of science will stagnate or not ; 

 whether the United States will lose the leadership it now has in the field of 

 science." 



To degrade high-energy physics, because at present we cannot pinpoint the 

 applications, in contrast to the materials sciences * * * and to state that the 

 materials sciences should be supported at the same rate as high-energy nuclear 

 physics is not a responsible analysis." 



"Shall we permit a very vigorous field, which illuminates a great deal of nature 

 and which draws to it some of the brightest young people in our country, to 

 stagnate?" 



TowNEs. There were two primary points : "The first is the effect of high-energy 

 physics and study on the general intellectual tone of our society and of our uni- 

 versities * * *." He declared that : "* * * A university which is not active and 

 on the forefront of particle physics is an incomplete university." He challenged 

 the "statement that hish-energy and particle physics will have little practical 

 application. Practical applications are frequently not easy to see and understand 

 in advance." 



WiGXtK. The question to be analyzed was ; "* * * bow much, in terms of prog- 

 ress in other areas of science, is it worth to arrive in, let us say, 30 months, at 

 the level of knowledge in high-energy physics which would be attained, with 

 lower expenditures, only after 36 months?" 



'•* * * High-energy phenomena are worth exploring * * * should and will be 

 explored." The question, however, "concerns the rate of exploration ; that is, 

 whether or not the proposed rate is so fast that it entails a less effective u.se of 

 the expenditures and scientific manpower than could be attained in other areas." 



"What part of our future expenditures and scientific manpower — and this is a 

 very limited manpower — can we afford to devote to this subject which, in spite 

 of its importance, is not the only subject and not the only endeavor which is 

 vital for this Nation?" 



"I think there are two principles involved here. One principle on which we 

 disagree is whether there is one basic principle from which everything else should 

 be derived or will science always have a loose structure * * *? 



"The second question * * * Is physics the basic science and to what extent 

 is physics the basic science? 



"* * * The structure of science is perhaps not so monolithic as to justify that 

 we support — exclusively support — one part, the most basic part as I say, of 

 physics. It is not right to support this entirely without regard to the expense 

 which it makes to other parts of science." 



Yang. He referred to an essay by A. ^I. Weinberg, which proposed three ex- 

 ternal criteria for scientific choice : scientific merit, technological merit, and social 

 merit. Dr. Weinberg had graded high-energy physics poorly on all three criteria. 

 With this as.sessment. Dr. Yang disagreed. 



"* * * The aim of high-energy physics is very much broader than an under- 

 standing of nuclear structure. It embraces such fundamental questions as the 

 basic space time structure and the origin and meaning of electricity." 



"High-energy physics, in studying the most minute distances and the shortest 

 time intervals, should be expected to serve as a source of new ideas and new 

 stimulation that will be es.sential in [solid state] technological developments." 



