John Burdon Sanderson Haldane Quotes

Greed and globalization aren't just America's fault.

What people recognize is that there's a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline. They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward.

Prediction of whether or not the capitalist order will survive is, in part, a matter of terminology.

What Americans should by now be able to see is that neither the laissez-faire marketplace nor strong government has given them a satisfying or permanent resolution. The problem is not the marketplace and it is not government. The problem originates in the contest of clashing values between society and capitalism and, since this human society cannot surrender its deepest values, it must try to alter capitalism's.

Capitalism had been more revolutionary than any previous social system. It had swept away without scruples old institutions and modes of thought, if they were found to stand in its way.

We do not yet have a politics that is equal to the economics around us.

Progressivism has time and again added the corrective that has enabled capitalism to survive.

Political economy came into being as a natural result of the expansion of trade, and with its appearance elementary, unscientific huckstering was replaced by a developed system of licensed fraud, an entire science of enrichment.

We are facing the rise of a Japanese-American technological condominium. Those who are unable to use the new technologies in order to achieve productivity gains will be forced into backwardness and decadence. If we become dependent on foreigners our democracy will be in danger! The Republic will be a mere word.

There are those who say that such research should be stopped by law, alleging that man’s destructive powers are already large enough. So no doubt that the more elderly and ape-like of our prehistoric ancestors objected to the innovation of cooked food and pointed out the grave danger of the use of the newly discovered agency, fire.

We’ve had plenty of populist figures in our past, but they had a different degree of substance than Mr. Trump. William Jennings Bryan [the Democratic nominee for president in 1896, 1900 and 1908] came out of a period like today. The industrial revolution was like our tech revolution and globalization. The pace of life had sped up and made people anxious. Telegrams and telephones were fast. Immigration was huge. And Bryan’s supporters, like Trump’s, were fearful about the way the country was changing.

In 10 years, ... you're going to see the most valuable economy in the world -- the largest economy in the world -- is going to be a country run by communists. The Chinese seem to be very good at capitalism. And this is going to have fundamental problems and present an identity crisis for the United States. Because for a long time, free markets coincided with liberties such as free speech, free press, free religion. And all of a sudden, this equation is going to be decoupled. And when it gets decoupled, we might find that democracy, the multitude of voices, actually impedes capitalism because a state that does not have any pretense of limited government can very quickly mandate a regulatory framework for drones, for electric cars, for self-driving cars, for any new innovation where they feel that they can leapfrog Western societies. And this is a very unique thing in the American experience. And this is why it's very important to think of American capitalism as an operating system and not as an ideology. Because when you think about it as an ideology, you can have good politics make for very, very bad policy. That market outcomes and democratic voices and battles for votes can end up stifling progress.

New technologies are often met with skepticism. But if the world is to continue the remarkable progress of the past few decades, it is vital that scientists, subject to safety and ethics guidelines, be encouraged to continue taking advantage of such promising tools as CRISPR.

China's growth and stability is a vital issue for all nations.

The United States needs to be a leader in scientific research.

To argue against the global economy is like stating opposition to the weather - it continues whether you like it or not.

The modern economy isn't about the redistribution of wealth, it's about the redistribution of time.

Innovation is a good thing. The human condition - put aside bioterrorism and a few footnotes - is improving because of innovation.

There just isn't a version of 'socialism in one country' around in the 21st century. I think it's really important that we don't fall for this nirvana of 'Let's just get out, and we can create a socialist Britain.'

The spending in science and technology need to be to increased.

So now, if we don't fund the physical sciences, where will the Next Big Thing come from?

Materialistic progress alone does not guarantee national security. What is essential is the character and integrity of the country's citizens.

I do worry about the fact that science is becoming a slower process as society is becoming less patient.

Despite its challenges, globalization has led to one of the most peaceful and productive times in world history.

Grand economic theories rarely last more than a few decades. Some, if they are particularly in tune with technological or political events, may make it to half a century. Beyond that, little short of military force can keep them in place.