Nobel laureate talks with children

Author: Klaus von Klitzing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: Big questions, small questions, silly questions, smart questions, foolish questions, good questions, simple questions, difficult questions—life is full of questions. In fact, children often ask big questions casually, and both children and adults ask such questions. If this doesn’t embarrass adults, children might think some things are beyond adults’ knowledge. Children ask these questions everywhere, and simply dodging, asking rhetorical questions, or playing games is not enough. Children need answers; they have the right to ask, or they may stop asking at some point. However, when faced with these questions, most adults often feel helpless: either they can’t find the right words or they don’t know the answers. Such big questions are best asked of experts—those who must truly know the answers. If the issue is a big one, no one can surpass them. This book is prepared for such moments. It gathers answers from 21 Nobel laureates worldwide (spanning fields such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, economics, biology, medicine, literature, art, and politics) to various questions posed by children within their respective research areas. As mentioned earlier, the innocent questions in the book are all big questions, some of which adults may not even know how to answer. This is not a simple popular science book or a mere dispenser of knowledge. The answers given by the Nobel laureates are filled with humanistic spirit. They teach children how to correctly perceive and think about the events in our lives through life’s insights, encouraging their dreams and inspiring them to act. With their profound academic backgrounds and strong personal charisma, the works are deeply moving. The Chinese translation of this book is now published by the Sanlian Bookstore (Life & Reading & New Knowledge), to be released in June as a gift for children.
What makes humans human is first that they ask questions, and second that they want to answer them. The questions in this wonderful book are all big and small, the kind children ask, and the kind adults ask too: How long will the Earth keep spinning? Why is there war? Why don’t Native Americans feel pain? Why can’t I live on fried potatoes alone? To answer such questions, it’s best to ask experts—those who must truly know the answers—and the Nobel laureates are undoubtedly the right choice. This book is a dialogue between Nobel laureates and children. Sometimes, my son Louis would suddenly ask me a question out of the blue, such as the one he recently asked: “Dad, why do you live?” The book includes questions like: Why is pudding soft and stones hard?; What is politics?; Why do we need scientists?; Why is there poverty and wealth?; Why can’t I live on fried potato sticks alone?; Why do we have to go to school?; Why is the sky blue?; How do telephones work?; Will there be two of me soon?; Why is there war?; Why don’t Native Americans feel pain?; Why do Mom and Dad have to work?; Who actually invented theater?—along with authoritative answers. Both adults and children will find it worthwhile to read.