that knowledge is in itself a bad thing, or that it is possible
for any of us to have too much of it.


LIMITATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO KNOWLEDGE

But neither does any government exempt the pursuit of knowledge,
any more than the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness (as the
American Constitution puts it), from all social conditions. No
man is allowed to put his mother into the stove because he
desires to know how long an adult woman will survive at a
temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit, no matter how important or
interesting that particular addition to the store of human
knowledge may be. A man who did so would have short work made not
only of his right to knowledge, but of his right to live and all
his other rights at the same time. The right to knowledge is not
the only right; and its exercise must be limited by respect for
other rights, and for its own exercise by others. When a man says
to Society, "May I torture my mother in pursuit of knowledge?"
Society replies, "No." If he pleads, "What! Not even if I have a
chance of finding out how to cure cancer by doing it?" Society
still says, "Not even then." If the scientist, making the best of
his disappointment, goes on to ask may he torture a dog, the
stupid and callous people who do not realize that a dog is a
fellow-creature and sometimes a good friend, may say Yes, though
Shakespear, Dr. Johnson and their like may say No. But even those
who say "You may torture A dog" never say "You may torture MY
dog." And nobody says, "Yes, because in the pursuit of knowledge
you may do as you please." Just as even the stupidest people say,
in effect, "If you cannot attain to knowledge without burning