The thing with Watson is that he has always been a bit controversial. He was also – of the Watson/ Crick duo – the courter of publicity.

As I mentioned in one of the notes above, it is important to understand whether he has caused any _real_damage. If he has not, then it is immaterial what he says. At any rate, the worse are those, who are PC when they speak and deeply prejudiced when they exercise their powers.

However I _do_ like the idea of making compulsory some Humanities studies for scientists. Likewise a degree of basic scientific understanding should be required of those studying Humanities too.

In my engineering school, we studied some humanities but it was no more complex or nuanced than economics!

Choosing what in humanities should be prescribed to scientists would be an interesting project in itself, and wholly ridden by political agendas.:-)

Thanks again.

That paper got a lot of coverage in NYTimes when it came out. I hope our cognition will help us improve our lives, which is why it is essential to discuss these difficult things. Thanks for sharing your views.

@ Jamie: Thanks! I am blessed to have your friendship, which is so much more fun because none of us is PC.

Being able to talk about things – rather than brushing them under the carpet – is a pre-requisite to building real bridges, rather than weak links forced through laws.

“You should fear what you dont know rather than what you do know.” Touché!

@ Nita: Thanks. I am glad you liked it.

As for your question if there is a “high point”, looking at our examples, perhaps we should call it the “low point”!

Jokes apart, I think when we lose our inhibitions and gain confidence in our adult years, it may be more experiential than biological. Our experience and exposure give us confidence to deal with things head-on.

But losing inhibitions in advanced years is biological, as the researches cited here suggest.

As for the ‘arrogance’ – or should that be ‘ignorance’ – of youth, as George Bernard Shaw said: “Youth is wasted on the young“. I think he was spot-on.

Thanks, all, for your views.