| Mad Scientist |
Article Index for Mad |
Website Links For Mad |
Information AboutMad Scientist |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MAD SCIENTIST | |
| fictional scientists | |
| stock characters by characteristics | |
| ethics of science and technology | |
| mad science | |
| hubris | |
| anti-intellectualism | |
|
A mad scientist is a Stock Character of Popular Fiction , more specifically Science Fiction , either Villain ous, benign or neutral. Whether Insane , Eccentric , or simply bumbling, the mad scientist is often working with some utterly Fictional Technology in order to forward his schemes. Alternatively, they fail to see the evil that will ensue from the Hubris of “ Playing God ”. Not all mad scientists are evil or villains. Some are actually protagonists (or at least positive forces), such as Dexter in the animated series '' Dexter's Laboratory ''. Though the archetypes often overlap, a mad scientist need not be an Evil Genius . A mad scientist is simply a Scientist who has become so obsessively involved with his studies that he has begun to develop eccentricities by normal standards; an Evil Genius is a Genius who uses their gift for explicitly, consciously Evil purposes. For example, while a mad scientist would test the bounds of science to create an army of zombies, he may do it to see if – or prove that – he could, or out of boredom, to impress women, to help clean up his house, or many other such reasons. By contrast, an evil genius would construct his army with a purpose, such as Taking Over The World – in addition to being evil, such characters tend to have large-scale ambition (see Megalomania In Fiction ). A mad scientist may be a naive Pawn of an evil genius, the evil genius often promising the scientist the funds and resources to conduct his research. Also mad scientists, whilst definitely being intelligent usually fail to think things through to their conclusion while an evil genius is usually a clever planner and would have a diabolical use for the army of zombies as well as a plan to avoid being killed by them. DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS Mad scientists are typically characterized by obsessive behavior and the employment of extremely dangerous or unorthodox methods. They are often motivated by Revenge , seeking to settle real or imagined slights, typically related to their unorthodox studies. Their laboratories often hum with Tesla Coil s, Van De Graaff Generator s, Jacob's Ladder s, Perpetual Motion machines, and other visually impressive electrical oddments, or are decorated with Test Tube s, bodies of Mutant creatures Embalmed in glass jars, and complicated Distillation apparatus containing strangely-colored liquids with no obvious purpose. Very often there will be chemicals heating over the yellow flame of a poorly adjusted Bunsen Burner despite the fact that this produces soot and less heat. Typically, the laboratory is decorated in the Raygun Gothic style, a term coined precisely to describe this kind of retro-futuristic aesthetic. Other traits include:
Mad scientists are usually among the first fictional characters in mainstream media (movies, TV, written stories) to introduce a newly-developed concept of science to the mainstream public. In the Pulp Magazine era, mad scientists were building rocket ships to travel to the Moon, Mars, and other planets. When World War II popularized the existence of "radiation" and its mysterious consequences, mad scientists built nuclear bombs and radiation-powered (or mutated) machines and monsters. By the time the 21st century debuted, mad scientists of the time were experimenting with Nanotechnology , genetic engineering, and similar sciences. As a fictional archetype, the mad scientist can be seen as representing the fear of the unknown, and the consequences that will result when humanity dares to meddle with “things that are best left unknown”. Similarly, the tendency of the mad scientist to place himself in the role of . The mad scientist is the antithesis of the Heroic Scientist and is considerably more popular. Dr. Herbert West, the protagonist of H.P. Lovecraft 's " Herbert West–Reanimator " is another example of a mad scientist, albeit somewhat less stereotypical. HISTORY Precursors Since ancient times, popular imagination has circulated on archetypal figures who wielded esoteric knowledge. Shamans , Witch es and Witch Doctor s were held in reverence and fear of their rumored abilities to conjure beasts and create demons. They shared many of the same perceived characteristics such as eccentric behavior, living as hermits, and the ability to create life. Perhaps the closest figure in Western mythology to the modern mad scientist was Daedalus , creator of the Labyrinth , who was then imprisoned within it by King Minos . To escape, he invented two pairs of wings made from feathers and beeswax, one for himself and the other for his son Icarus . While Daedalus himself managed to fly to safety, Icarus flew too close to the sun, which melted the wax of his wings, casting him down into the sea below. In actual history, Archimedes shares some of the elements of the mad scientist, but was closer to the more benign archetype of the Absent-minded Professor . A more whimsical prototype of the mad scientist can be found in Aristophanes ' Comedy '' The Clouds ''. The play depicts Socrates , a contemporary of Aristophanes, as tinkering with odd devices and performing implausible experiments to determine the nature of the clouds and sky, and presents his philosophical method as a means for deceiving others and escaping blame, closer to the later descriptions of his opponents, the Sophists , than to those usually ascribed to him. While this is at variance with the depictions by Plato and Xenophon , two of Socrates' students, it is plausible that Aristophanes' Parody of Socrates is more accurate than their Panegyric s. One of Plato's students, Aristotle , is known to have also been an experimentalist, and may have taken the concept up from his teacher's teacher. The protoscience of Alchemy long had a resemblance to mad science with its lofty goals and bizarre experiments. Certain alchemists were well known for behaving strangely, sometimes a result of handling dangerous substances, such as Mercury Poisoning in the case of Isaac Newton . The famous alchemist Paracelsus claimed to be able to create a Homunculus , an artificial human. Alchemy steadily declined with the advent of modern science during the Enlightenment . Films and fiction Since the 19th century, fictitious depictions of Science have vacillated between notions of science as the salvation of society or its doom. Consequently, depictions of scientists in fiction ranged between the virtuous and the depraved, the sober and the insane. Until the 20th century, optimism about progress was the most common attitude towards science, but latent anxieties about disturbing "the secrets of nature" would surface following the increasing role of science in wartime affairs. in '' Back To The Future '') is that of an archetypical mad scientist ]] The prototypical fictional mad scientist was Victor Frankenstein , creator of Frankenstein's Monster , who made his first appearance in 1818, in the novel '' Frankenstein, Or The Modern Prometheus '' by Mary Shelley . Though Frankenstein is a sympathetic character, the critical element of conducting forbidden experiments that cross "boundaries that ought not to be crossed", heedless of the consequences, is present in Shelley's novel. Frankenstein was trained as both alchemist and modern scientist which makes him the bridge between two eras of an evolving archetype. His Monster is essentially the Homunculus of a new form of literature, Science Fiction . Another archetypal Mad Scientist is Faust , or Dr. Faustus . The Faust legend is a widely recognized and referenced example of selling one's soul to the devil. In almost all cases, Faust is selling his soul for knowledge or supernatural power. ''. Nevertheless, the essentially benign and progressive impression of science in the public mind continued unchecked, exemplified by the optimistic " Century Of Progress " exhibition in Chicago , 1933, and the "World of Tomorrow" at the New York World's Fair of 1939. However after the First World War , public attitudes began to shift, if only subtly, when Chemical Warfare and the Airplane were the terror weapons of the day. As an example, of all science fiction before 1914 which dealt with the end of the world, two-thirds were about naturalistic endings (such as collision with an Asteroid ), and the other third was devoted to endings caused by humans (about half were accidental, half purposeful). After 1914, the idea of any human actually killing the remainder of humanity became a more imaginable fantasy (even if it was still impossible), and the ratio switched to two-thirds of all end-of-the-world scenarios being the product of human maliciousness or error. Though still drowned out by feelings of optimism, the seeds of anxiety had been thoroughly sown. Armand Tesla=Nikola Tesla, Bela Lugosi plays Romanian scientist/vampire in The Return of the Vampire (1944) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037219/ The most common tool of mad scientists in this era was Electricity . It was viewed widely as a quasi-mystical force with chaotic and unpredictable properties by an ignorant public. A recent survey of 1000 horror films distributed in the UK between the 1930s and 1980s reveals that mad scientists or their creations have been the villains of 30 percent of the films; that scientific research has produced 39 percent of the threats; and, by contrast, that scientists have been the heroes of a mere 11. ( Christopher Frayling , '' New Scientist '', 24 September 2005 ) After 1945 Mad scientists had their heyday in '', in which Peter Sellers plays the titular Dr. Strangelove, is perhaps the ultimate expression of this fear of the power of science, or the misuse of this power. In more recent years, the mad scientist as a lone investigator of the forbidden unknown has tended to be replaced by mad as a typically solitary mad scientist, a major Retcon of the character's origins in 1986 made Lex Luthor the head of a megacorporation who also plays a leading role in his R & D department. Also a prime example is Bob Morton, the young executive who masterminds the creation of Robocop by arranging the death of a decorated policeman and handing his still-warm body over to a more traditional team of white-coated mad scientists in a ruthless attempt to advance his career. Bob Page , the master villain in the computer game '' Deus Ex '', is another example. Still, the pose has been used whimsically by popular science writers to attract readers. The techniques of mad science also changed after Hiroshima . Electricity was replaced by Radiation as the new tool to create, enlarge, or deform life (''e.g.'', Godzilla ). As audiences became more savvy, Quantum Mechanics , Genetic Engineering , and Artificial Intelligence have taken the spotlight (''e.g.'', '' Blade Runner ''). SEE ALSO REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|