"Under these conditions it is not astonishing that learning was highly prized; in fact, my parents made sacrifices to be able to give their children a good education"
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Van der Meer’s line carries the cool understatement of a scientist describing a life-or-death variable as merely “not astonishing.” That restraint is the point. By refusing sentimentality, he makes the emotional truth sharper: in a world pinched by scarcity and instability, education wasn’t self-improvement or “finding your passion.” It was a form of insurance, a ladder out of fragility, and a bet placed by parents who had little margin for error.
“Under these conditions” does quiet heavy lifting. It gestures to the ambient pressures of mid-century Europe (a childhood shaped by economic constraint and the long shadow of war) without turning biography into melodrama. The phrase also performs a kind of intellectual honesty: he’s not claiming exceptionalism, just tracing causality. If you want to understand the making of a physicist, he implies, don’t start with genius; start with household priorities.
The most loaded word here is “sacrifices,” offered without detail. That omission is dignified and strategic, inviting readers to supply the costs: foregone comforts, extra work, deferred desires. It reframes “learning” as a collective project rather than a solitary achievement. The subtext is gratitude, but also a corrective to myths of meritocracy. Van der Meer doesn’t present education as an entitlement; he presents it as something purchased at a real price, paid by people who may never reap the direct rewards.
In a scientific career defined by precision and systems, he’s also modeling a moral equation: knowledge is valuable, but it is never free.
“Under these conditions” does quiet heavy lifting. It gestures to the ambient pressures of mid-century Europe (a childhood shaped by economic constraint and the long shadow of war) without turning biography into melodrama. The phrase also performs a kind of intellectual honesty: he’s not claiming exceptionalism, just tracing causality. If you want to understand the making of a physicist, he implies, don’t start with genius; start with household priorities.
The most loaded word here is “sacrifices,” offered without detail. That omission is dignified and strategic, inviting readers to supply the costs: foregone comforts, extra work, deferred desires. It reframes “learning” as a collective project rather than a solitary achievement. The subtext is gratitude, but also a corrective to myths of meritocracy. Van der Meer doesn’t present education as an entitlement; he presents it as something purchased at a real price, paid by people who may never reap the direct rewards.
In a scientific career defined by precision and systems, he’s also modeling a moral equation: knowledge is valuable, but it is never free.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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