The Dangers of Science
The documents detailing some of the experiments conducted by Nazi scientists in concentration camps offer a haunting reminder of the dangers of unethical science. While most of the stories we have read warned of pushing science too far too quickly, it is difficult to actually show a period in time where science was so misused as in Nazi Germany. The nightmarish stories of monsters rising from the dead, and people disfigured by experimentation actually came true.
This raises an interesting quandry for modern society. In the secular, scientific present we only observe the benefits of science. Individuals in class expressed hesitation at some aspects of cloning or other future technologies, but everyone acknowledged the benefits of these inventions as well. Furthermore, the popular opinion is that religion and faith have cause wars and death on an unimaginable scale. However, it is important for those of us who are secular and do believe in the power of science to admit to the failures of science at the dawn of the twentieth century.
After Darwin's theory of evolution gained popularity the idea of "survival of the fittest" was stretched and abused by colonial Europe. European countries who colonized every inch of Africa actually did so with scientific claims. They argued that they were the fittest breed of human and had a right to dominate the lesser, soon to die off, races. The colonizing forces deemed it natural and in the interest of evolution of the species for these abuses of human dignity to occur. Then, the Nazi's took it to a whole differnt level. The experimentation on subjects with the purpose of creating a perfect, pure race of man violates every modern medical ethics standard. Moreover, the German's understood this and used prisoners in addition to volunteers. The entire concentration camp process was fuled by pseudoscience. The churches in Nazi Germany were destroyed during Hitler's uprising, and the war crimes perpetrated by Himmler had scientific theory behind them.
It is important to remember the dangers of extending any theory too far, too fast, and with too few safegaurds in place. Science can be just as radical and dangerous as religion and was responsible for colonization and the war crimes of WWII.
This raises an interesting quandry for modern society. In the secular, scientific present we only observe the benefits of science. Individuals in class expressed hesitation at some aspects of cloning or other future technologies, but everyone acknowledged the benefits of these inventions as well. Furthermore, the popular opinion is that religion and faith have cause wars and death on an unimaginable scale. However, it is important for those of us who are secular and do believe in the power of science to admit to the failures of science at the dawn of the twentieth century.
After Darwin's theory of evolution gained popularity the idea of "survival of the fittest" was stretched and abused by colonial Europe. European countries who colonized every inch of Africa actually did so with scientific claims. They argued that they were the fittest breed of human and had a right to dominate the lesser, soon to die off, races. The colonizing forces deemed it natural and in the interest of evolution of the species for these abuses of human dignity to occur. Then, the Nazi's took it to a whole differnt level. The experimentation on subjects with the purpose of creating a perfect, pure race of man violates every modern medical ethics standard. Moreover, the German's understood this and used prisoners in addition to volunteers. The entire concentration camp process was fuled by pseudoscience. The churches in Nazi Germany were destroyed during Hitler's uprising, and the war crimes perpetrated by Himmler had scientific theory behind them.
It is important to remember the dangers of extending any theory too far, too fast, and with too few safegaurds in place. Science can be just as radical and dangerous as religion and was responsible for colonization and the war crimes of WWII.
posted by judge at 1:05 PM
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