Summary of the speech

Science causes fear because it stands for novelty, and fear scares all animals except for their young. Compared to other animals, man has less fear of novelty because he remains a child for 30 years. But it would be good to acquaint himself with it, because we will discover that fear is the worst solution and it isn't such a good investment. What science has done and promises to do more of is to eliminate injustice and differences. For example it eliminates injustices done to someone who is born sick and weak.

Science is many things at the same time. First, science is not definitive, but it is trustworthy and a source of practical application, because man is not satisfied with knowing; he wants to "do" as well. The results of science are clear for all to see: anyone who was born myopic was handicapped in the past, but not today. Science is also an integral part of cultural progress, but Italy isn't the right country. Here when we speak of culture we speak of everything except science. Second: science is the state of mind that helps and informs the critical spirit, to judge and be judged.

Science causes more fear now than in the past, when we hoped to solve problems of health, transport, the supply of goods. Today there is no longer the hope of great improvement to balance fear. On the other hand, we are well off enough to not want to be better, although man is by definition impossible to satisfy. What causes fear are the promises made in the '700s and '800, when promises of happiness and wisdom were made. But science cannot make us happy and has not made us wise. The result is that the promises were vain and a sense of delusion spread when this became understood.

And yet science has produced real results. In human science man has always asked what the secret to life was. And man has always asked what was special about living things. Today we know. The secret of life is simple: each one of our cells contains instructions for use.