I like a sentence in the general preface that one of the most basic attitudes of science is questioning, and one of the most basic spirits of science is criticism. As this article is about, most people in life are pragmatic, and before we do everything, we may only think about whether there is any meaning. We pay attention to the practical use of science and enjoy the convenience brought by scientific and technological achievements, but often ignore the spirit behind scientific discoveries. I think the book "Fanatical Pursuit: Memoirs of Scientific Discovery" can guide professional scholars on how to do research and how to avoid mistakes—especially those related to biology—and what we ordinary people can learn from it is the spirit behind scientific research and the inspiration brought about by the life experience of author Francis Crick.
The title of "Fanatical Pursuit" is actually the title of an academic report that Crick made, it comes from Keats's "Ode to the Greek Ancient Ong", and just as the other sentence in this poem, "Beauty is true, truth is beauty", Crick's pursuit of truth also reflects the beauty of his different soul. It dawned on me that the title of "The Pursuit of Fanaticism," from a romantic poem, fit well with a rational memoir of scientific discovery.
The language of the whole book is plain and rigorous, but you can feel Crick's enthusiasm for scientific knowledge about life itself from the lines. The author does pay little attention to his own early experiences, telling some stories and educational experiences as a child, and then immediately getting married at work. I read about some special things that Crick did when he was a child, and I had just learned that foreigners were so superstitious that I thought my grandmother had this kind of stubbornness to throw her lost teeth on the roof. Crick loved to read encyclopedias as a teenager and began experimenting as a teenager. His life seems to be no different from many people, not particularly precocious or some great deeds. So what made a great scientist who can be called a Nobel Laureate and the "Father of DNA"? The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami mentioned a point in his collection of essays" "The Mood of the Incomparably Mixed", that it is not wonderful to do a small thing on a certain day, but it is wonderful to insist on doing a small thing every day. Crick's success comes from this little bit of wonder, and not a little bit of wonder. Always curious and enterprising, he insisted on learning and exploring every day, and was still revising a paper before his death. He was born in physics, but won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Until the age of 30, his understanding of biology had been very superficial, and through self-study, he completed the transformation of the subject area. And most of us reach the age of thirty and don't seem to learn anymore...
Crick is also a very interesting person, because in "Breaking the Century" Adam used his ribs to transform women, he felt that men have one less rib than women, and later found out that it was not, he realized that religious ideas can not be too rational, he became an atheist early, and then advocated science. "Fortunately, a mine explosion blew up my hard-earned experimental equipment at the University of London, so that I would never have to go back and measure the viscosity of water after the war." This sentence also reflects his interestingness.
After World War II, Crick reconsidered what he should do, and he found many friends to give him advice. He believes that "people can only be so engaged if they are passionate about the industry they are engaged in." In choosing a field of study, he found himself really interested in something that was touched upon in small talk all day long. So he realized that he liked molecular biology and neurobiology, and the great mysteries of which were life and consciousness. Because he insisted on his preferences, he turned down a rare job offer. I also admire this, once he finds the target, other things become superfluous even if it is tempting, Crick will still be firm in his choice.
In the book, he also introduces some of the people he knows who are engaged in research work and his experience of publishing papers and reports for the first time. His explanation of Darwin's theory of natural selection and particle inheritance, fusion genetics, etc. is easy to understand, at least for me, who has not been exposed to biological knowledge since high school. He relived his research and achievements on DNA, recreating his previous thoughts, paving the way for his later discovery of the DNA double helix structure with Watson.
He later went to work in Cavendish's laboratory, a magical laboratory that witnessed discoveries that would later appear in secondary school textbooks. Actually I'd love to know why Crick divorced, but about divorce and remarriage, he only mentioned it superficially. The so-called dismantling of the stage is probably Crick's report that all research is a waste of time, and most people's methods do not work, but there is an exception. Although Bragg felt that Crick belittled the work of others, time and practice proved the correctness of his criticism. His attitude of disregard for emotion and daring to criticize has helped everyone point out the direction. When referring to the unfair treatment of female scientists, the authors say it is an averse limitation. From these two events, it is not difficult to see Crick's integrity and personality.
Crick's autobiography focuses more on his scientific discovery than on his life. The theme of the book is natural selection, and it also introduces how the alpha spiral, the double helix, was discovered... Books and movies about DNA are also covered, such as Jim Watson's Double Helix, the film Whose Life Is It, and The Story of Life.
In this book, we can feel the author's serious and rigorous scholarly attitude, and we can also know his opinions and thoughts from anecdotes. He wrote this book, striving to popularize the public, taking us insight into the mysteries of the world on which we live, and also making me understand a lot of life principles. We can't be Crick, but we can get closer to him. First of all, we must strive for a good education. A science education in secondary schools laid a solid foundation for Crick. UCL as one of the G5 is already a dream school for many people, and the author also said that the curriculum provided by the school is somewhat outdated... Second, always have a curiosity about things, always full of curiosity, just like Crick began to teach himself biology in his thirties, he did not give up learning, and put what he learned into practice. Third, find something that is really interesting, not afraid of change, follow the interest, and bravely step out of the comfort zone. Fourth, once you make a choice, you must be firm, and then learn from failures and persevere. Finally, learn to think, practice having strong logical skills, and not superstitious authority.