John Maddox
Sir John Maddox | |
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Born | John Royden Maddox 27 November 1925 Penllergaer, Swansea, Wales, UK |
Died | 12 April 2009 | (aged 83)
Alma mater |
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Known for |
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Spouse | Brenda Maddox |
Children | 6, including Bronwen Maddox and Bruno Maddox |
Awards | FRS (2000) |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | |
Academic advisors | Charles Coulson |
Sir John Royden Maddox, FRS[1] (27 November 1925 – 12 April 2009)[2][3] was a Welsh theoretical chemist, physicist, and science writer. He was an editor of Nature for 22 years,[4] from 1966 to 1973 and 1980 to 1995.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Education and early life
John Royden Maddox was born on 27 November 1925, at Penllergaer near Swansea, Wales. He was the son of Arthur Jack Maddox, a furnaceman at an aluminium plant. He was educated at Gowerton Boys' County School. From there, aged 15, he won a state scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford, where he read chemistry, and King's College London, where he studied physics.[2]
Career
From 1949 to 1955 Maddox lectured in theoretical physics at the University of Manchester.
He then became the science correspondent at
From 1964 to 1966 he was the coordinator of the
He was director of the Nuffield Foundation from 1975 to 1979.
From 1980 to 1995 he was again editor of Nature. In 1990, he publicly investigated
Sheldrake editorial, 1981
When the book A New Science of Life by British biologist
I was so offended by it, that I said that while it's wrong that books should be burned, in practice, if book burning were allowed, this book would be a candidate [...] I think it's dangerous that people should be allowed by our liberal societies to put that kind of nonsense into currency. It's unnecessary to introduce magic into the explanation of physical and biological phenomena when in fact there is every likelihood that the continuation of research as it is now practised will indeed fill all the gaps that Sheldrake draws attention to. You see, Sheldrake's is not a scientific theory. Sheldrake is putting forward magic instead of science, and that can be condemned, with exactly the language that the popes used to condemn Galileo, and for the same reasons: it is heresy.
Stance on AIDS denial
Maddox is remembered for his opposition to the notion that
Stance on the Big Bang
In the late 1980s, as evidence for the
Publications
Maddox authored and edited numerous publications[17] including:
- Beyond the Energy Crisis[18]
- Revolution in Biology[19]
- The Doomsday Syndrome[20]
- What Remains to Be Discovered: Mapping the Secrets of the Universe, the Origins of Life, and the Future of the Human Race.[21]
Honours and awards
In 1995 Maddox was knighted. In 2000 he was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. His nomination read:[1]
Sir John Maddox is known throughout the world as an outstanding editor and contributor to Nature. His deep understanding of all branches of science is reflected in the lucid expositions of scientific research and discovery which appeared almost weekly in Nature. Under his leadership, Nature grew to become unique among the world's leading scientific publications, covering all fields and circulating internationally. He was Editor from 1966 to 1973, and from 1980 to 1996. Sir John was Director of the Nuffield Foundation Science Teaching Project 1964–66 and director, Nuffield Foundation 1975–1980. He is the author of five books, and many scientific contributions to newspapers and journals. He has also contributed regularly to broadcasting and television, and has a notable record of public service. He has made an outstanding contribution to science both in the UK and internationally and since his retirement from Nature has continued to contribute to science policy.
The
In April 2011, the executive council of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI, formerly CSICOP) selected Maddox for inclusion in CSI's Pantheon of Skeptics. The Pantheon of Skeptics was created by CSI to remember the legacy of deceased fellows of CSI and their contributions to the cause of scientific skepticism.[25]
Personal life
Maddox lived in London, and spent time at his cottage near Brecon in Wales, where he and his wife, Brenda Maddox, were involved in the local community. They had two children, Bronwen and Bruno Maddox. He had two previous children with Nancy Fanning King (Piers Maddox and Joanna Maddox), and two children with Lois Barton (Lois Wheatley and Adrian Maddox).[2][26][citation needed]
References
- ^ a b "EC/2000/50: Maddox, Sir John Royden". London: The Royal Society. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ .
- ^ "Obituary: Sir John Maddox", The Times, 13 April 2009.
- .
- PMID 19396135.
- S2CID 2398422.
- PMID 19396137.
- PMID 19378388.
- ^ John Maddox interview (1997)
- S2CID 9579433.
- ^ "Homeopathy Part 1". ABC TV. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- S2CID 4330931. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- YouTube
- ^ Thomas H. Maugh II (23 April 2009). "Sir John Maddox: 1925-2009". Chicago Tribune (Obituary).
- )
- S2CID 37785602.
- ^ John Maddox's publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
- OCLC 1635791.
- OCLC 462833454.
- OCLC 320054.
- ISBN 0-684-86300-6(paperback, 1999)
- ^ "Maddox Prize Winners".
- ^ "The John Maddox Prize". Sense about Science. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ Karr, Barry (1994). "Five Honored with CSICOP Awards". Skeptical Inquirer. 18 (5): 461–462.
- ^ "The Pantheon of Skeptics". CSI. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ Dixon, Bernard (15 April 2009). "Sir John Maddox". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2021.