A Scientist's Sanitarium

Erin Sams, Erin Carver, Matt Wilson, and Daniel Factor


View from the crater of Holeokala Mountain.
Photo By Matt Wilson

Can any of us imagine a world before humans existed? (The idea of dinosaurs and steaming pools of primordial soup was created by us, leaving not even the origin of life untouched by mankind).  The words of Johann Wilhelm Möbius, a fictional character from Friedrich Durrenmatt's play, The Physicists, bring to light the threat of mankind's influence on the Earth.  He says, in a discussion about whether to escape a sanitarium or not,

"Either we stay in this madhouse or the world becomes one. Either we wipe ourselves out of the memory of mankind or mankind wipes out itself." (pg. 82)

In his situation, Möbius was a genius of theoretical physics.  He had solved several principles that other prominent physicists could not.  His admission into a sanitarium was by choice, for he knew that the shelter of the institution would prevent the publication of his findings and thus prevent whatever catastrophe this new knowledge would bring to society.  In the end, he felt that he was using his knowledge for good, yet the audience never finds out if his manuscripts do get published. 

As students of biology, we look at this idea with an ecologist's perspective.  The notion of mankind wiping itself out of existence has become a reality with rising carbon dioxide levels in the air and changes in climate patterns as a result. A trained ecologist has studied the natural world enough to be aware of the changes occurring.  Likewise, we have traveled to such a range of world regions that not only have we seen environmental change and destruction but populations so overwhelming that any effort to teach people about making better choices with their livelihoods for the sake of the environment would be impossible.  An ecologist is then more knowledgeable in his or her field than someone who has not studied the science.  Some say ecologists are extreme (mad, even) when it comes to spreading the word about climate change.  Just as Möbius was segregated from society by his genius, we too have a responsibility to use of our knowledge for good; but prevent catastrophic uprisings against the facts of global warming.  This is what the three "madmen" realized in their sanitarium:

Newton: "Let us be mad, but wise."

Einstein: "Prisoners but free."

Möbius: "Physicists but innocent." (pg. 84)


View from a chamber inside the Red Fort, Agra, India
Photo By Matt Wilson

Möbius feared the lack of control that he had over the knowledge he had discovered.  That is why he committed himself and may have never published his work, to try and to take responsibility for his potentially dangerous ideas.  The burden of knowledge is one that weighs heavily on the mind of its holder.  Over the past 78 days (soon to be the full 80 of our class), this burden is one we have adopted and now we need to decide what to do with it.


Matt Wilson
wilsonmj at hiram.edu
Last Modified 30 Apr 2008