Mad scientists

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Mad scientists have been a part of sci fi as far back as Frankenstein (1818). What makes a mad scientist mad?

I meddled in things that Man must leave alone.

—Griffin, The Invisible Man

Clearly, part of it is a fierce individuality. Science, in reality, is a collaborative process. As the French physiologist Claude Bernard famously put it:

Art is I; science is we.

Mad scientists typically feel rejected by their peers. The mad scientist is often a genius, ahead of others, and working off the beaten path. Others may reject their strange theories, sometimes harshly. While criticism is a natural part of science (theories are put forward to invite someone else to try to knock them down), the mad scientist does not take it well. They retreat from the community of science, often physically, to pursue their research on their own (or with an assistant or two).

Second, they place their work above typical morality. Whether it be buying body parts and not investigating from whence they were obtained, or luring victims to be used in unwilling trials, the end justifies the means.

Third, and especially in earlier versions, they may go against religious authority, usurping the role of God (as envisioned by their contemporary society). This was the theme of Frankenstein, and as noted in the quote at the beginning of this article, an element of the Invisible Man story as well.

Fourth, the mad scientist ignores the linear process of slow and careful scientific progress. They jump ahead, ignoring the safety bells, in a headlong rush. They may experiment on themselves, with unintended consequences.

Finally, although they may succeed in their attempts, they will fail overall. The life they have so painstakingly created may turn on them and destroy them. The matter disintegrator they have crafted may disintegrate them. Hoist on their own petards, or conquered by a hero, in the end, they will lose. Their only hope is to abandon their crazy ambitions.