1.
I was born in 1923 into a middle class Jewish family in Vienna, a few years after the end of World War I, which was disastrous from the Austrian point of view.
Walter Kohn
2.
I was fortunate to find an extraordinary mathematics and applied mathematics program in Toronto.
Walter Kohn
3.
I am very much a scientist, and so I naturally have thought about religion also through the eyes of a scientist. When I do that, I see religion not denominationally, but in a more, let us say, deistic sense. I have been influence in my thinking by the writing of Einstein who has made remarks to the effect that when he contemplated the world he sensed an underlying Force much greater than any human force. I feel very much the same. There is a sense of awe, a sense of reverence, and a sense of great mystery.
Walter Kohn
4.
My commitment to a humane and peaceful world continues to this day.
Walter Kohn
5.
On another level, I want to mention that I have a strong Jewish identity and - over the years - have been involved in several Jewish projects, such as the establishment of a strong program of Judaic Studies at the University of California in San Diego.
Walter Kohn
6.
During one or two summers, as well as part-time during the school year, I worked for a small Canadian company which developed electrical instruments for military planes.
Walter Kohn
7.
I have just joined the Board of the Population Institute because I am convinced that early stabilization of the world's population is important for the attainment of this objective.
Walter Kohn
8.
Originally I had planned to revert to nuclear physics there, in particular the structure of the deuteron.
Walter Kohn
9.
My father, who had lost a brother, fighting on the Austrian side in World War I, was a committed pacifist.
Walter Kohn
