The most widespread story in human history describes the horrors of Nazi Germany. Recreated in novels, movies, writings, and theatre, this brutal tragedy is familiar in the minds of all. Seemingly enthralled by the captivating tale, our interminable interest in the Nazis is habitual, neurotic, and borderline obsessive. Why does it so easily capture our attention? Observers figure that this macabre story signifies the lowest of lows in our pathetic and quondam attempt to be “sivilized.” Perhaps our fascination with this historic tale lies in the baseless optimism that our whole world may soon experience a Damascene conversion. After the impending growth and development of Greece and Rome following their advancement in the fields of science and …show more content…
4 Perhaps one of the most horrifying experiments of all was preformed by Josef Mengele, also known as the “Angel of Death,” who sewed together a set of twins in an attempt to create Siamese twins. 1 In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche refers to several men as the “finest examples” of “marvelously incomprehensible and inexplicable beings, those enigmatical men, predestined for conquering and circumventing others” – in other words, they were the closest to being recognized as his first Übermensch; the first being Alcibiades, a statesman, general, and strategic advisor who played a key role in a string of Athenian victories, changed allegiances often, and fled to escape sacrilege charges after trying to create and impose his own values. 2 The next was Julius Caesar – known as one of the greatest military commanders in history, as well as a Roman statesman, general, and author, he played a critical role in the rise of the Roman Empire and was defiant when asked to step down from his position of power and …show more content…
As, “methods of teaching improve,” it became, “possible to reach the frontier of knowledge,” much faster than ever before. As many expected, “scientific advance to continue…it increasingly attract[ed] the best brains.” With so many progressions in numerous fields, knowledge became accessible to the masses. Unfortunately, the, “explosive forces,” generated by this new information made it, “impossible to preserve the kind of society in which science can flourish.” Here, Russell describes the, “arrival of science in an environment that [was] not ripe for it.” Typically such innovation would be a period of growth in the positive direction, however it was much the opposite now that, “modern states,” had to, “compete for nuclear physicists.” Regrettably this new information was now being used for corrupt purposes. Additionally, it began raising questions that took us, “beyond the sphere of science,” and into the, “imaginative understanding of mass phycology,” along with their, “ethics and moral codes.” While advancements were being made, “science…cannot supply us with an ethic,” and we were left at a loss. In search of a, “somewhat different moral code from the one inherited by the past,” we were led back, once again, to science. It may not be able to give us virtue,
Lisa Jardine’s Ingenious Pursuits: Building the Scientific Revolution provides a comprehensive breakdown of the discoveries that defined the Scientific Revolution and the history behind them. The story of the scientific revolution truly begins with a separation between the Catholic Church and the denizens of Europe brought on by the Protestant Reformation. This separation led directly to the questioning of the church and what they deemed to be true. The growing suspicion of the church applied not only to the politics and religious views but the scientific “facts” the church was built upon. The suspicion of these scientific facts quickly grew to an open challenging of these facts, The Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution is something we have all studied in our grade school years and the discoveries of people such as Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei are well documented and arguably common knowledge but Jardine’s book Ingenious Pursuits encapsulates the scientific revolution in a new light. Jardine accomplishes this by telling the stories of some of the greatest achievements of the Scientific Revolution. These stories reveal the collaborations of some of histories most brilliant minds as well as the secrecy amongst them and uncover the motives that fueled many of these accomplishments.
In Masters of Death, Richard Rhodes examines what the Nazi Party of the 1930s and 1940s stemmed from, how they got to be in World War II, and why they had such an evil hatred for the Jews of Germany, Poland, and surrounding countries. When most people think of the Holocaust, they think of the more famous concentration camps like Auschwitz or Warsaw. But Richard Rhodes gives detailed accounts of more “non-famous” concentration camps. Hitler’s youth and upbringing is explained in the book and why some theorist believe that he convinced so many Germans to act upon the Jews. Richard Rhodes argues and describes in the book, “what made it possible for men, some of them ‘ordinary men,’ to kill so many people so ruthlessly?”
Much credit should belong to scientists for making important technological and medical discoveries in the world. In Bishop,'sEnemies of Promise," well known scientists point out views regarding their belief in science. Representative George E. Brown, Jr., who has been trained as a physicist admits that "his faith in science has been shaken." He feels that as our knowledge of science increases, so do the occurrence of social problems. Brown, Jr. Feels that the progression of science should lead to diminishing social problems rather than an increase.(238) The real question is, is science to blame, or are the humans creating science to blame? Critics such as Brown and Lamm "blame science for what are actually the failures of individuals to use the knowledge that science has provided." Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus, is a good example of a myth about a scientist who took science to an extreme.
Analogies within stories often portray a bigger picture in the world. This is shown within the story “The Book Thief“ in a short story written by one of the main protagonists in nazi Germany. The story was written by a Jew named Max for a little German girl who helped the Max named Liesel to help inspire her with the power of words. In ¨The Book Thief¨, Zusak uses short stories, metaphors, and compassion in the mini story to show how powerful words can become.
In truth however, Hitler’s Final Solution was something peculiar in the fact that few people believed that in the 20th Century, when society had reached its intellectual and ethical peak, such genocide was conceivable. Public consensus, along with the media, reassured us that we could no longer return to the Middle Ages. However, the philosophers and prophets of Berlin, with their fine manners and high society, turned into the world’s greatest murderers. The world was silent. One may add, not only silent but in whole passive, sometimes comfortable with what
The natural sciences have a lot in common with Pandora’s box. Both contain any number of wonders and possibilities within them, the promise of untold riches and benefits just as great as the threat of disaster and pain. The fear of catastrophe can keep the scientific box shut, and science may not progress at all. For this reason, scientists should only be held responsible for the application of their discoveries to an extent that does not give them blame for the negative. For should scientists be blamed for the tragedies that result from their work, not only do they become a scapegoat for the abusers of their knowledge, but the process of scientific discovery itself becomes hindered by this fear of the unknown.
It was developed by Mills in a time of great social upheaval – industrialisation, globalisation and capitalism meant that the social phenomena were different to those previously experienced. The meta-narrative of science and ‘scientism’, previously used to develop theories of society, began to be presenting more moral questions and
“Architecture of Doom” is a film that documents the aesthetics of Germany during the Third Reich, and features sketches and scale models of the Greater Berlin he intended to build before World War II began. But more importantly, the film uses the aesthetics as a vessel to delve into Hitler’s psychology to try to understand the mindset of a madman when imbued with absolute power. The fact is that Adolf Hitler is remembered as a murderous dictator responsible for killing six million Jewish citizens and brainwashing an entire generation of young followers. Hitler was a corrupt totalitarian dictator and committed himself to the pursuit of cultural and genetic “purity” in Germany. As the sole leader of his nation, and with an obsession for
The concept of morality plays an important role in human society. Through the discovery of what, exactly, determines that which is “good” and that which is “bad”, humans develop mechanisms that determine how they respond to or judge any given situation. What remains a mystery, however, is what, exactly, is the basis of morals. It is commonly believed that morals are learned through lived experiences, as well as, from those who act as each person’s individual caretaker(s). Even though these factors do play a significant role in determining morality, these factors alone neither create nor determine a person’s moral compass. In Paul Bloom’s work, Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil, we are introduced to the idea that morality, while partly learned, is something that is ingrained in humans from birth. Through multiple studies, performed both by Bloom as well as other psychologists, it is revealed that not only are babies able to perceive what is right and what is wrong, but also, from birth, babies are instilled with the innate knowledge of empathizing, valuing fairness and status, and valuing those who look similar versus those who look different. In spite of previous ideas, Bloom proves that babies are smarter than previously thought, while simultaneously recognizing the shortcomings of this “elementary” form of morality. Bloom’s finding prove to be revolutionary, in that they allow for the examination of different social structures, their shortcomings, and what
In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche discusses how he is not a believer in democracy. The principles of democracy were put together by levelers, or people that believe in democracy. These principles lead to equality that restrains life to one universal truth and Nietzsche did not agree with this idea at all. He believed that these principles caused people to form into one large herd. In this herd, people follow one another with no will to power, which results in the downfall of individual rights and instincts. This makes the herd the definition of morality in society, which Nietzsche disagrees with. But he brings up the idea of neighbor love. Neighbor love is the idea that we are all in one herd so we are all equal which creates us to all
The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is often associated with a various number of themes such as racism, social inequality, the importance of family values, and much more. But one of the more hidden messages of the book centers around the idea that there is a coexistence of good and evil. This theme is really brought to life the more the reader is able to understand the book. Through sub themes such as coming of age, perspective, and intense characterization of many important characters the idea of good and evil is really brought to light.
Katie Vervack Rhoda TFMS November 6, 2017 Are little monsters actually monsters? An analysis on evil/possessed children in horror films In the film The Good Son (1993), an interchange happens between 12-year-old Mark Evans and his child psychologist, Dr. Davenport. Mark: What do you think-what makes people evil?
Following successful completion of a Master’s degree in Science Communication and Society, I feel assured that pursuing a PhD in Social Justice and Education would be the next step to develop both my professional and personal interest in the education sector. As part of the dissertation for this degree, I had the opportunity to explore the topic of public engagement with STEM subjects through a series of taught modules, culminating in a dissertation entitled “The ‘Shortage’ of Skilled Scientists: An evaluation of the factors that impact on the progression to STEM education and industry”. My interest in this area largely stems from my own educational journey and through my role as Partner Schools Manager at the University of Kent in which I lead a small team responsible for the delivery of the Universities’ Widening Participation activities. The transition to studying for an interdisciplinary degree after previously being scientifically trained did present challenges (particularly when working full-time) however, I also found this to be extremely rewarding and believe my training both in the sciences and humanities has well equipped me for pursuing this PhD.
Throughout the course of history, scientific discoveries have led to the birth of new knowledge. Humanity’s increase in knowledge has helped to achieve new heights of understanding in a variety of fields such as medicine, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons. While some of these achievements in science can generate much prosperity, some technology has created significant amounts of controversy. The Honors 2400 class entitled The Chernobyl Incident has granted me over the course of the semester the opportunity to analyze these scenarios and understand the challenging questions that are associated with the pursuit of knowledge. From many examples discussed in class, I understand the importance of limiting knowledge, the discoveries that humanity should or should not pursue, how individuals pursue confined questions, and who is ultimately responsible for approving or disapproving of these scientific questions.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was enjoying and embracing the good life of living in peace and prosperity, but behind those sheets of peace and prosperity, many groups and organizations were at work that would eventually lead Europe into war ripping out those sheet of peace and prosperity, exposing the ugliness and horrors of war. The United States wanted to avoid getting involved in World War 1 due to the fat that they believed that the Europeans were unworthy of their support by avoiding all of their political treaties with Europe that would affect their neutrality. Unfortunately the U.S got involved in World War 1 in 1917 and its course of history was impacted domestically.