When I was in high school one of my courses required me to read Frankenstein, watch Blade Runner and then write countless essays on the unchecked nature of science. In some ways, it was a horrible experience (I will certainly delve into why at later points), but in others it was good, because it gave me a topic for today's blog entry.
There's a character in here called Sir Keith Gold. He's the director of the Inferno Project, and he is concerned with how things are proceeding. There are numerous safety issues that have taken place and the nature of the work that is being done (drilling into the centre of the Earth) is too risky to just let things slide. as such, he is trying to put up barriers of red tape in order to keep the world safe. He comes into conflict with Professor Stahlman, who will not accept any delay to his project, to the detriment of his fellow scientists. Whilst the character here is one that we've encountered before, we've never quite encountered this stubborn a scientist, nor someone who is opposed to the discoveries made here that is so easy to sympathise with.
So perhaps instead of watching Blade Runner and reading Frankenstein I should have watched Inferno. Because Inferno is easily able to show that, although science is all about discovery and seeking the future, when unchecked, it can lead to horrible things that can put the entire human race into danger.
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