A Lifelong Quest for Peace: A Dialogue

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Linus Pauling is celebrated as one of the greatest scientific minds of the last century, whose decisive contributions to an astonishing diversity of fields - including organic and inorganic chemistry, quantum mechanics, molecular biology and medicine - still remain in many respects definitive. Pauling was additionally a tireless campaigner against the perils of nuclear conflict, and his contributions to both science and peace were recognized by the award to him of two separate Nobel Prizes. In this philosophically broad and sinewy book, he engages in complementary discussion with Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai - and another tireless champion for peace and dialogue.Showcasing the central ideas and fundamental values of two of the leading pacifist minds of recent times, "A Lifelong Quest for Peace" ranges over such perennially critical themes as ethics and technology, the appropriate use to which science should be put, the nature of morality and the human quest for progress, justice and equality. Both richly anecdotal and warmly engaging, the discussions offer fascinating insights into and recollections from the interlocutors' early lives and subsequent careers.
Pauling and Ikeda thereby demonstrate through warm personal example the essential and lasting value of constructive conversation between people of different backgrounds and contrasting cultures.

Author Bio

Linus Pauling (1901-1994), one of the most brilliant and influential chemists of the twentieth century, is often described as one of the most important scientists in history. He was one of only two individuals ever to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields (chemistry in 1954 and peace in 1962). Daisaku Ikeda (1928-) is the President of Soka Gakkai International, a lay Buddhist organisation whose adherents come from over 190 countries throughout the world. He is the author of more than 80 books on Buddhist themes, and received the United Nations Peace Award in 1983.