"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
This is a quote from the Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita which describes the god Vishnu taking on a fearsome form to destroy evil. However, it is widely attributed to Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer said this when reflecting back with anger and regret on his role in the Manhattan Project and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Oppenheimer was deeply troubled by the destructive power of the atomic bomb, which he had helped create. As a result of his change of view on nuclear weapons, Oppenheimer later became a vocal opponent of nuclear weapons, which this quote reflects.
"The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led us up those last few steps to the mountain pass; and beyond there is a different country."
This quote is from one of Oppenheimer's speeches after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He acknowledges the enormity of what has been done and suggests that there is no going back to the world that existed before the detonation of the atomic bomb. He saw the atomic bomb as a device that would fundamentally alter the geopolitical landscape and was hopeful that it would lead to a more peaceful world. Oppenheimer thinks that the atomic bomb was a good thing in the world. Although it was destructive, it could ultimately lead to peace.
"There is no place for dogma in science. The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to seek for any evidence, to correct any errors."
This quote reflects Oppenheimer's feelings about life and the role of scientists in the world. It also reflects Oppenheimer's deeply held beliefs about the nature of science. He believed that the pursuit of knowledge should be unrestrained by ideology or politics and that scientists should be free to pursue their research without interference from such trivial things. He also believed in the importance of skepticism and the constant questioning of assumptions. After all, science continually evolves.
