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51CHAPTER 7 Scientific culture or the cause of errors MEN OF SCIENCE MAY FEEL that these consid- erations are of little interest to everyday research. Let us dwell on theworld of science for a moment. Do not let the following affect yourgood mood, because the collective interest requires that the “scientificwall of Berlin” also comes tumbling down. Ultimately, the land thatlies behind this wall is not so different from what we find in companiesor politics: power struggles, protection of personal status and preroga-tives, people holding back information, confidentiality pledges andintrigue. This picture is certainly a bit negative, but we are all stillhuman. Nothing is sterile in this low world, not even in laboratories. We often speak of the pioneers of scientific history. They were few by definition. So why does our culture make an abstraction of all thosewho were crushed by the train of progress because they held on to theirephemeral certainties? Is it because we hate losers? Let us have mercyon future losers. They become losers only because we lack compassionfor the mistakes of others. Let us not be the ones to cast the first stone,for who has not abused his authority, at any level, to impose certainviews? Let us be forgiving and simply invite our scientists to acknowl-edge that the perks of their social position are legitimate as they standunited and become dedicated to serving mankind, rather than science,which would be self-justification. Nevertheless, I have the utmostrespect for the hours, months and years of dedicated research con-ducted by these brilliant men and women. I observed that there were always two major types of actions from which all others ensue: justifications and questions; to justify ourselves…or to question ourselves. All the rest proceeds from and depends onthese two attitudes!