 Before coming to Cambridge , Burhop had not engaged in political activities . At Cambridge he encountered political debate generated by the suffering caused by the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in Europe . While he rejected his parents ' faith in favour of rationalist science , he did not reject their values , especially that of compassion for others , and there was no estrangement between them . At Cambridge he embraced socialism , and believed that scientists had a moral responsibility to society , one that included fighting fascism . 
