> It seems that C. Reid is not the primary (printed) source: Her _Hilbert_
> was first published in 1970, while, according to Mike Deakin, the phrase
> appears also in Robert Jungk's book: _Heller als tausend Sonnen_ Scherz
> & Goverts Verlag, 1956.
>
> Has anyone access to this book (or its English translation)?
> In what context the phrase appears in Jungk's book?
sure, i have it on my bookshelf (it was a "must" as a high-schooler). the
quote appears on p. 23. the context is the same, namely, that the interests
of the prize gave them at Goettingen money to invite other scholars. then
the text goes on saying that every time the prize commitee met to find all
submitted 'solutions' unsafisfactory, Hilbert, being chairman of the
commitee, used to say:
"Ein Gl"uck, dass wohl nur ich diese Nu"s knacken kann. Aber ich werde mich
h"uten, das Huhn zu t"oten, das uns so sch"one Eier legt"
(roughly translated):
"What a luck that probably only me can crack this nut. But I take good care
not to kill the hen which lays us so beautiful golden eggs."
I wasn't aware of jungk reporting this story too. many thanks to you for
correcting me!
(for those of you who don't know this book _brighter than a thousand suns.
the story of nuclear physicists_, it tells the story of building the bomb,
covering the time from 1918 through 1955. i think it's still worth reading.
there were two or three follow-ups written from him on this topic, before
he discovered his political bone and turned to futurology (and ecology
lately).)
best, bb
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Bernd Buldt
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Germany | email: bernd.buldt@uni-konstanz.de
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