Science is wonderfully equipped to answer the question 'How?' but it gets terribly confused when you ask the question 'Why?'
Erwin ChargaffRead
Science is now the craft of the manipulation, substitution and deflection of the forces of nature. What I see coming is a gigantic slaughterhouse, an Auschwitz, in which valuable enzymes, hormones, and so on will be extracted instead of gold teeth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote warns about the exploitation of natural resources through scientific manipulation, drawing a grim analogy to historical atrocities.
Erwin Chargaff's quote reflects a deep concern for the future of science and its potential to manipulate nature for human benefit at a moral cost. By comparing this manipulation to a 'gigantic slaughterhouse,' he emphasizes the ethical implications of extracting valuable substances from living beings, suggesting that, while the scientific advancements might yield benefits, they could also lead to dehumanization and suffering reminiscent of the horrors of the Holocaust.
Themes
ScienceNatureManipulationEthicsExploitationHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on environmental ethics, one might use this quote to highlight the dangers of uncontrolled scientific progress.
More from Erwin Chargaff
All quotes →One of the most insidious and nefarious properties of scientific models is their tendency to take over, and sometimes supplant, reality.
Erwin ChargaffRead
You can stop splitting the atom; you can stop visiting the moon; you can stop using aerosols; you may even decide not to kill entire populations by the use of a few bombs. But you cannot recall a new form of life.
Erwin ChargaffRead
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