21-06-2026, 03:43 PM
Quote:People will often point out that James Watson was a racist and a sexist, but he was much more than that. He was quite possibly the most arrogant scientist in history. He was exceptionally nasty, cruel, vindictive, and thin-skinned to almost everyone he met. Was he brilliant? Absolutely. But he will be remembered not for his great achievement, but for how hated he was in its wake.
I highly recommend his memoir "The Double Helix". I read it to get "his side" of the story, and to hopefully understand him in a better light. I succeeded – the book does an excellent job showcasing just how little Watson thought of his colleagues and how highly he thought of himself. Once you understand it for the surrealist comedy that it is, it actually becomes quite funny, and you will walk away frustrated not that people unjustly think too lowly of Watson, but that people think too highly of him.
From reddit.
