Comment by frozenport
10 years ago
I really like
An astronomer looking at the stars, and falling into an abyss (1789-92) (via French Revolution Digital Archive) http://hyperallergic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/frenchre...
As it reminds us that the pursuit of scientific knowledge can often distract brilliant people from addressing social problems. I wonder if the glut of research scientists is one of the mechanisms by which the status quo is preserved.
For an interesting example of that, check out Antoine Lavoisier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier, executed during the French revolution.
One of the Herschels (Caroline?) fell into well and almost died...
I am not convinced scientists' role should be to address social problems. Beside since we are talking about France, most of the scientists that were politically engaged were Stalinists.
Your comment shows a profound misunderstanding of History, as Stalin was born 90 years after the French Revolution (and Karl Marx 30 years). Even while Stalin was alive, few if any French scientists were Stalinists, as by the time he rose to power France was diplomatically closer to the US than they were to the USSR.
During the Revolution, and preceding it, it turns out that many scientists were involved or even instrumental in the social progress that occurred. The simple act of imposing the metric system was meant as a way to eradicate the imperial in "imperial system". The Enlightenment caused the rise of many ideas of equality that can be said to have triggered the Revolution.
Of course, the extremes of the Terror also caused some scientists that were not deemed invested enough to lose their head, such as Lavoisier, the man that proved the conservation of mass. It should be noted that the government apologised a year or so later.
I am not talking about French scientists being Stalinist during the French revolution but being Stalinist under Stalin and until the 70s.
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."