Jacques Monod
A molecular biologist who, with François Jacob, elucidated the mechanisms of gene regulation, particularly the operon model.
Most quoted
"Man must at last wake out of his millenary dream; and in doing so, wake to his total solitude, his fundamental isolation. He must realize that, like a gypsy, he lives on the boundary of an alien world; a world that is deaf to his music, just as indifferent to his hopes as it is to his sufferings or his crimes."
— from Chance and Necessity, 1970
"Pure chance, absolutely free but blind, at the very root of the stupendous edifice of evolution: this central concept of modern biology is no longer one among other possible or even conceivable hypotheses. It is today the sole conceivable hypothesis, the only one compatible with observed and tested fact."
— from Chance and Necessity, 1970
"And man must at last wake out of his millenary dream and discover his total solitude, his fundamental isolation. He must realize that, like a gypsy, he lives on the boundary of an alien world; a world that is deaf to his music, and as indifferent to his hopes as it is to his suffering or his crimes."
— from Chance and Necessity, 1970
All quotes by Jacques Monod (353)
Science is not a collection of facts, but a way of thinking.
The most important discovery of modern biology is the universality of the genetic code.
The scientific attitude is based on the postulate that nature is objective, not projective.
The only source of knowledge is experience.
The scientific adventure is the only one that can give meaning to human life.
The scientific revolution is not yet over.
The scientific method is a constant challenge to our prejudices.
The scientific attitude is an ethic of knowledge.
The scientific attitude is a choice, a deliberate choice.
The scientific attitude is a moral attitude.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to objectivity.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to truth.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to reason.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to freedom.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to humanity.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to the future.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to the universe.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to life.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to evolution.
The scientific attitude is a commitment to chance.
Contemporaries of Jacques Monod
Other Biologys born within 50 years of Jacques Monod (1910–1976).