The basis of tragedy is man's helplessness against disease, war and death; the basis of comedy is man's helplessness against vanity (the vanity of love, greed, lust, power).
Bio: Catherine Bréchignac is a French physicist. She is a commander of the Légion d'honneur, "secrétaire perpétuel" of the Académie des sciences and former president of the CNRS.
