Veery: What artists do you respect and why? James Van Allen: I respect artists who succeed in capturing the essence of human nature or the poignancy of human activities. My wife and I visited Holland a few years ago, and I was especially taken by the exhibits they have there like The Night Watch by Rembrandt (beautiful, very, very struck by that, stood there and looked at it for a long time, loved that) and the other Dutch masters. Veery: What scientists do you respect? James Van Allen: Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Clerk Maxwell are my all-time heroes in science, but I respect all scientists who have made or are making significant advances. Veery: Any work in particular to these people or is it just their whole body of work that you admire? James Van Allen: It's mostly their whole body of work. For example, Galileo and Newton were the founders of the science of mechanics which is one of the important branches of classical physics. I name Darwin because of his perception of the process of evolution. And Maxwell, who isn't probably as well known in the general public as the founder of the science of electricity and magnetism which is the other major branch of classical physics. Newton and Maxwell - I feel I depend on their work more than that of any others. Veery: Is your after hour life tightly linked to science? James Van Allen: My after hours life is devoted principally to family matters, but I am often preoccupied by mulling over a scientific problem on which I am working. I do find that often in taking a shower in the morning that I have somehow a relaxed frame of mind, and I often think of the solution to a problem that's been bugging me for several days or at least a day or so. I tend to have fresh thoughts when I'm either shaving in the morning or taking a shower. I seem to have an especially relaxed, open mind early in the morning when I'm getting ready to go work. Veery: What are your thoughts on the future of the environment in terms of its condition and pollution? James Van Allen: I consider that the quality of life on earth is seriously threatened on a time scale of the order of fifty years - principally by overpopulation and overconsumption. Veery, 1995 
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