Science: Humanity's Religion of Shameless Lies
Humanity has used science to 'advance' itself through time, in the hopes that their efforts will uncover the purpose of life itself. Kurt Vonnegut mocks this technological prowess in his novel, Cat's Cradle, by spinning a tale that examines the uselessness of science. Vonnegut views science as a revolutionary religion, one whose 'rituals' create destruction and chaos, and whose blind worshippers believe the one shameless lie: that science can improve humanity past its violent tendencies.
Scientists, the most devout followers of humanity's modern religion, believe that they are saving the world with their knowledge, when in fact they are merely speeding up the time for Earth's demise. Dr. Breed explains that science's primary mantra is to find "new knowledge" so that "we have more truth to work with" (36). This truth that scientists seek is the purpose of life,
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But Vonnegut believes this quest for truth is actually a hoax, as scientists instead use their knowledge for the purpose of advancing their precious religion alone. Dr. Hoenikker sums up this blind following of science when he asks Miss Faust, a 'non-believer' of science, what 'God' and 'Love' are. Vonnegut mocks humanity's dependence on fact and 'truth' by making his scientists mindless zombies, unable to see a bigger picture in the universe other than their facts and figures. These statistics many times blind scientists into believing that their work is 'beneficial to humanity'. But although they may be armed with this 'new knowledge', scientists seem to lose humanity in the process of 'learning the truth'. Marvin Breed tries to explain this phenomenon, when he wonders whether scientists were indeed born "stone-cold dead" (53), their souls devoid
Religion is an idea or belief that varies among every culture and every person. In Cat’s Cradle it shares the idea of Bokononism while in Do androids Dream of Electric Sheep tells about Mercerism. Both of theses religions were created by a man themselves. Mercerism is a new religion based on the life and teachings of a man named Wilbur Mercer. It became known after Mercer’s death through the empathy boxes that were in the novel. For Bokononism though, it is a religion that has to do with people having groups of other people to who their fates are knotted, among other things. So basically saying that everyone tells lies and you ever know when they are saying is the truth. The establishment of Bokononism was from Bokonon and his partner Earl McCabe, in ruling the island, when all the duo 's efforts to raise the
In 1936 a sixth-grade student by the name of Phyllis Wright wondered if scientists pray, and if so, what for. She decided to ask one of the greatest scientists of all time, Albert Einstein. A while later he wrote a letter back to Phyllis with his response. Understanding the context and purpose of his response assist in analyzing its effectiveness. After receiving a letter from such a young student, Einstein aimed to provide Phyllis with a comprehensible answer. He intended for his response not to sway her in one way or another, but to explain science and religion do not necessarily contradict each other completely. By using appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos, Einstein achieved his purpose by articulating a response suitable for a sixth grade
For this essay, I decided to pick two terms that describe Cat's Cradle. I felt that satire and fantasy were two terms that suited the novel quite well. The book qualifies as a satire because it makes a mockery of things that were of concern in the sixties. For example, the Cuban missile crisis was a big issue in the early sixties. Religion was taken much more seriously, and the family unit was more tightly wound. In the novel, the threat comes not from a large warhead, but from a small crystal of Ice-nine. Religion is satired in Bokononism, which is a religion that is based on lies. The family unit is satired by the Hoenikkers. The father is detached from reality, the sister is a giant, and the brother is a midget. The Cuban threat is also satirized by San Lorenzo and it's dictator Papa Monzano.
Kurt Vonnegut said in The Vonnegut Statement (1973), in an interview with Robert Scholes, that one of his reasons for writing is "to poison minds with humanity…to encourage them to make a better world" (107). This idea works quite well in Vonnegut's book, Cat's Cradle. It is a satirical story of a man's quest to write a book about the day the world ended (refering to the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima), which he never finishes. What we get is a raw look at humans trying desperately to find a sense of purpose in their lives through different means such as religion, science, etc.
Kurt Vonnegut’s fictional novel “Cat’s Cradle”, indirectly explores issues that parallels into topics such as religion, scientific/technological advancements, political power and much more. Vonnegut’s novel is narrated by a character named Jonah (John). He, Jonah, sets out to write an anthropological book based off of what key people were doing on the day that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Throughout Vonnegut’s novel it can clearly represents how a writer can become a very destructive person to society. As for this novel, it shows through the uses of parallels that a writer can become a very destructive person to society, these parallels are reflects to real world issues throughout his novel to show this claim, that a writer too can be a destructive person to society.
Deadly and helpful, science is a dual-edged sword. Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the first to emphasize this through his literary works. “Rappaccini's Daughter” and “The Birthmark” are two of his works where he teaches this lesson through the trials of his characters. Focusing on the motif of the “mad scientist”, Hawthorne brings to light the points that people struggle with humanity, learning to love themselves and others, and that science can be more harmful then helpful.
Cat's Cradle is, "Vonnegut's most highly praised novel. Filled with humor and unforgettable characters, this apocalyptic story tells of Earth's ultimate end, and presents a vision of the future that is both darkly fantastic and funny, as Vonnegut weaves a satirical commentary on modern man and his madness" (Barnes and Noble n.pag). In Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut uses satire as a vehicle for threatened self-destruction when he designs the government of San Lorenzo. In addition, the Bokonists practice of Boko-maru, and if the world is going to end in total self destruction and ruin, then people will die, no matter how good people are and what religion people believe.
Since the beginning of time man has been infatuated with the idea of pushing the human body to its limits by the use of science. The Space program is the best example of science helping humans accomplish things never before thought possible. In the age of technology and scientific advancement ideas that once seemed like science fiction, for example people walking on the moon, are now a reality. In order to push human development, ethics and morals have been pushed to the side. Necessary evils have been accepted as part of science without a second thought. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, plays God by creating a monster out of body parts and bringing it to life. When Frankenstein realizes the full extent to what he’s done, he abandons the monster leaving it confused and lonely. The monster then
Dr. Michael Shermer is a Professor, Founder of skeptic magazine, and a distinguished and brilliant American science writer to say the least. In His book The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People he sets out to embark on the daunting task of convincing and informing the reader on sciences’ ability to drives the expansion of humanity and the growth of the moral sphere. Although such a broad and general topic could be hard to explain, Shermer does so in a way that is concise, easy to understand, and refreshing for the reader. This novel is riddled with scientific facts, data, and pictures to back up shermers claims about the history of science, humanity and how the two interact with one another.
Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle I believe that Vonnegut uses Cat's Cradle as an allegorical tale about what will happen to the world if we are not careful with technology that has the ability to end life on this planet. He points out one of the qualities of humanity: that people make mistakes, thus poisoning our minds and encouraging a better world. One of the obvious ways that Vonnegut uses this book to "encourage a better world" would be by showing that the end of the world may come from an accidental release of technology. At the time when this book was written, nuclear war seemed to be almost a certainty.
...pe of bringing a frightening force of nature under control. Science, too, is a method of telling a story about nature. In the struggle to make sense of the raging universe, we sometimes discover art, an art purged of all pretense by the extreme elements of which it was born. When all is said and done, the disaster that brings us death also brings us an opportunity to find hope and compassion, and a chance to transcend our own blindness and limitations and find peace.
Laughter is the best medicine. In Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut it is necessary to acknowledge the humor found within the novel. It’s ironic how a story about such horrific events can be intended to make one laugh. Vonnegut’s tone is very light throughout the novel. The whole novel is a tale of caution and mockery.
“The lack of conflict between science and religion arises from a lack of overlap between their respective domains of professional expertise—science in the empirical constitution of the universe, and religion in the search for proper ethical values and the spiritual meaning of our lives. The attainment of wisdom in a full life requires extensive attention to both domains—for a great book tells us that the truth can make us free and that we will live in optimal harmony with our fellows when we learn to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.”
Praises resound around the world everyday in admiration of man's magnificent creation, technology. Scientific progress has been hailed the number one priority of man, while the development of society itself has been cast aside like an old beta vcr. When surrounded by a constant herd of machinery, finding purpose in life is often overshadowed by a desire to continually generate new scientific inventions. In the post-war classics Waiting for Godot and Slaughterhouse Five, the authors rally for meaning within the chaos of technology and stress the importance of "a possibility of choice"(Sartre 339). In addition to improved technology, Vonnegut and Beckett emphasize that members of society need to attach significance to their lives through the use of free will.
Scientific progress on the other hand is what has helped out society gain the knowledge and insight to live better lives through the advances in medical technology, the strategy of war, and the exploration of space. Not all scientific knowledge is misused, and it’s only brought to our attention when it has been. When this occurs people often question the validity of scientific work which leads to criticism. Some scientific progress will bring with it disruptive change in our society, but with change comes progress and the hope that we can better our lives.