Whatever happened to the "mad, bad" scientist? Overturning the stereotype.
| Author | Haynes, Roslynn |
|---|---|
| Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Public Understanding of Science |
| Keywords | mathematics, mad, mentally ill scientist |
Titles discussed
- Levin, Janna (2006) A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines. New York: Knopf
- Gruen, Sara (2010) Ape House: A Novel. New York: Spiegel & Grau
- Boyd, William (1990) Brazzaville Beach. London: Sinclair-Stevenson
- Rohn, Jennifer (2009) Experimental Heart. Cold Spring Harbour: Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Press
- McEwan, Ian (2005) Saturday. London: Jonathan Cape
- McEwan, Ian (2010) Solar. New York: Nan A. Talese
- Ackroyd, Peter (2008) The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein. London: Chatto & Windus
- Goldschmidt, Pippa (2013) The Falling Sky. Glasgow: Freight Books
- Rohn, Jennifer (2010) The Honest Look. Cold Spring Harbour: Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Press
- Ghosh, Amitav (2004) The Hungry Tide. London: HarperCollins
- Doxiadis, Apostolos (2000) Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture. London: Faber & Faber
- Dudman, Clare (2003) Wegener's Jigsaw. London: Sceptre
Abstract
The cluster of myths relating to the pursuit of knowledge has perpetuated the archetype of the alchemist/scientist as sinister, dangerous, possibly mad and threatening to society’s values. Shelley’s Frankenstein provided imagery and a vocabulary universally invoked in relation to scientific discoveries and technological innovation. The reasons for the longevity of this seemingly antiquated, semiotic imagery are discussed. In the twenty-first century, this stereotype has been radically revised, even overturned. Scientists are now rarely objects of fear or mockery. Mathematicians, both real-life and fictional, are discussed here as being representative of scientists now depicted empathically. This article examines possible sociological reasonsfor this reversal; what the revisionist image suggests about society’s changed attitudes to science; and what might be the substitute fears and sources of horror.
Miscellaneous
Published online before print June 10, 2014, doi:10.1177/0963662514535689