Where does knowledge lead - does it benefit man or will it prove to be his undoing? This con­troversy between Faust and Mephistopheles in Goethe’s Faust is a sort of key to this book by the Soviet journalist Kim Smirnov. Reflecting on let­ters sent in by his newspaper readers, the author talks to outstanding Soviet scientists-Academicians Victor Ambartsumian, Yevgeny Velikhov and Bonifaty Kedrov, to name but a few-about the interdependence between the socio-political and moral positions of the researcher, what ways he can or cannot take to reach the truth and his moral courage.The book was translated from the Russian by Peter Doria and was designed by Yuri Luter. Progress published the book in 1985.Prologue 4 1. Finding a Road 8 2. The Scalpel of Kindness 16 3. Difficult Stars 32 4. What Does It Mean to Be an Optimist? 60 5. The Hour of Introduction 80 6. Logger or Forester? 100 7. On the Other Side of the Rainbow 118 8. The Rem Khokhlov Lecture Hall 135 9. “He Only Earns His Freedom and Existence, Who Daily Conquers Them Anew’’ 163 Epilogue 179