English · Chapter 17
Study notes aligned to the official NEB syllabus.
John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (1892-1964) was a British scientist whose work in genetics, physiology and evolutionary biology made him one of the leading biologists of the twentieth century. He was also a well known popular writer on science, a committed socialist, and a man famous for using his own body in dangerous experiments. He served in the First World War, and in 1957 he moved to India, where he spent his last years. "What I Require from Life" was written in 1940, in the early period of the Second World War, when Haldane was in his late forties. It is a short personal essay in which he sets out, plainly and without sentiment, the conditions he believes a satisfying human life needs.
Haldane makes clear at the outset that he is describing what he himself requires, not laying down a rule for everyone. His first and most important requirement is work. He wants work that he enjoys and that is useful to other people. For him this means scientific research and teaching, and he insists that usefulness matters as much as enjoyment, because a life that produces nothing for others is not a satisfying one. A person who is paid to do something pointless, or who does nothing at all, is not in his view living well, however comfortable he may be.