Knowledge is Knowledge
I completely agree that Nazis committed horrible atrocities during their time in power. I also agree that some of the experiments that they conducted were unethical, and in no way support their methods of experimentation. However, Nazi-era scientists were brilliant and made significant contributions to the world we live in today.
Nazi-era scientists and engineers were pioneers of television, jet-propelled aircraft, guided missiles, electronic computers, the electron microscope and ultracentrifuge, atomic fission, and new data processing technologies. All of which were either first developed in Nazi Germany or reached their high point at that time. During the Nazi-era, Germany was at the fore front of technology. Some examples of this are: the first magnetic tape recording was of a speech by Hitler, the V-2 emerged from a plan for intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to be able to reach New York City, and that the nerve gases sarin and tabun were Nazi inventions. Also German cancer research during the Nazi era was the most advanced in the world: Nazi-era health reformers built on this research base, introducing smoke-free public spaces, bans on carcinogenic food dyes, and new means of controlling dust exposure on factory floors. The period saw extensive work in the area of occupational carcinogenesis, and in 1943, Germany became the first nation to recognize lung cancer and mesothelioma as compensable occupational illnesses caused by asbestos inhalation. Germans also pioneered what we now call experimental tobacco epidemiology, presenting the most convincing demonstrations up to that time that cigarettes were a major cause of lung cancer.
U.S. officials knew that Nazi scientists were very intelligent and tried to recruit Nazi talent for use in U.S. military projects. At least 1,600 German scientists came to the United States under the rubric of “Operation Paperclip” including a number of medical professionals, some of whom had been implicated in abusive human experimentation.
While Nazi scientists committed horrific atrocities, we cannot forget some unethical American experiments such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Also from 1945 through 1947 scientists on the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments fed radioactive iron to 829 pregnant women without their consent.
Nazi-era scientists made significant contributions to science, research, medicine, technology, and engineering. While their experiments were unethical and should never be repeated, they did provide substantial knowledge, including evidence that cigarettes cause lung cancer. I argue that if the knowledge is there and you need you should use it. I do not condone their methods; however, if you’re writing a research paper on: television, jet-propelled aircraft, guided missiles, electronic computers, the electron microscope and ultracentrifuge, atomic fission, or any other of advancement that the Nazi scientists made, you should be able to cite that research. Again I do not support Nazi methods; however, after knowledge from Nazi experiments is gained it is the same as any other knowledge and you should be able to use it and cite it just like any other knowledge
Nazi-era scientists and engineers were pioneers of television, jet-propelled aircraft, guided missiles, electronic computers, the electron microscope and ultracentrifuge, atomic fission, and new data processing technologies. All of which were either first developed in Nazi Germany or reached their high point at that time. During the Nazi-era, Germany was at the fore front of technology. Some examples of this are: the first magnetic tape recording was of a speech by Hitler, the V-2 emerged from a plan for intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to be able to reach New York City, and that the nerve gases sarin and tabun were Nazi inventions. Also German cancer research during the Nazi era was the most advanced in the world: Nazi-era health reformers built on this research base, introducing smoke-free public spaces, bans on carcinogenic food dyes, and new means of controlling dust exposure on factory floors. The period saw extensive work in the area of occupational carcinogenesis, and in 1943, Germany became the first nation to recognize lung cancer and mesothelioma as compensable occupational illnesses caused by asbestos inhalation. Germans also pioneered what we now call experimental tobacco epidemiology, presenting the most convincing demonstrations up to that time that cigarettes were a major cause of lung cancer.
U.S. officials knew that Nazi scientists were very intelligent and tried to recruit Nazi talent for use in U.S. military projects. At least 1,600 German scientists came to the United States under the rubric of “Operation Paperclip” including a number of medical professionals, some of whom had been implicated in abusive human experimentation.
While Nazi scientists committed horrific atrocities, we cannot forget some unethical American experiments such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Also from 1945 through 1947 scientists on the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments fed radioactive iron to 829 pregnant women without their consent.
Nazi-era scientists made significant contributions to science, research, medicine, technology, and engineering. While their experiments were unethical and should never be repeated, they did provide substantial knowledge, including evidence that cigarettes cause lung cancer. I argue that if the knowledge is there and you need you should use it. I do not condone their methods; however, if you’re writing a research paper on: television, jet-propelled aircraft, guided missiles, electronic computers, the electron microscope and ultracentrifuge, atomic fission, or any other of advancement that the Nazi scientists made, you should be able to cite that research. Again I do not support Nazi methods; however, after knowledge from Nazi experiments is gained it is the same as any other knowledge and you should be able to use it and cite it just like any other knowledge
posted by Chris Rowland at 2:27 PM
2 Comments:
By citing the Nazi research, it doesn’t let us forget about the horrible things that happened. History repeats itself, unless we know better and are able to stop it. Unethical research is still a problem, however I hope that nothing as bad as Mengele’s research in Nazi Germany ever happens again or has happened since.
Using nazi research to me seems to have two problems. The first is that the scientists were either forcefully coerced into doing their work or believed the nazi mantra of Aryan superiority, both of which are dubious positions from which to perform legitimate unbiased research. My second objection runs parallel to the reason why our government doesn't negotiate with terrorists. If the US government could trade 1 million dollars for the life of some citizen being held hostage by terrorists with no further repercussions I'm sure that it would do so. However, in reality this would send a signal to other would be terrorists that terrorism pays off leading to and escalation in terrorist activities that could consume far more lives than the life of the original hostage. Likewise if we say that we don't like unethical research but we will use it anyway if its helpful, we are signaling that unethical research practices will be looked down upon but may ultimately pay off.
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