Prof. Wertheim’s Answer to Prof. Gonggrijp

Abstract

When I state that mankind owes all its cultural property to the process of technical and scientific progress then I am very far from wishing to exclude the contribution the artist makes to our cultural inheritance. But art in turn avails itself of technics and science, from pottery making to the most exquisite manifestations of literature and music. Only via technology could all the various aspects of our civilisation be realised, from making a fire to the most modern orchestras. All I had in view therefore with what I said was to lay down that our civilisation in all its various aspects presupposes technical and scientific progress as its basis, and I believe that taken in this sense I can stand by every word I said.