Scientists
Scientists are mostly good guys. Without scientists, we wouldn’t have things like computers, 3-D movies, aspirin, and fart-free cucumbers. But scientific curiosity can sometimes get out of hand. When you’re deep into the discovery of the answer to an ages-old question, it can be easy to lose sight of what is reasonable.
A successful scientist is a hyper-focused, detail-oriented savant. He is able to ignore all irrelevant detail in favor of data that strengthens or weakens a hypothesis. When his material, whether it is men, machines, or minerals, protests, he must be able to divorce himself, at least a little bit, from his humanity. He must focus on the evidence.
Modern medical trials are an excellent example. They operate under strict ethical guidelines and require informed consent from all participants, but they also demand a control group—a selection of subjects who will receive a placebo in the place of the treatment being tested. The researchers conducting the trial can be absolutely convinced of a drug’s efficacy, but to be scientifically certain, some people must be allowed to continue suffering (at least until a certain point—compassionate use protocols dictate that if a drug appears to be working as expected the control group is administered proper treatment). This is critical for the advancement of medical science, a vital sacrifice for the greater good. To the scientist, the answer to the question being asked must be paramount. For researchers isolated by secrecy, it must be easy to lose touch with the humanity of their subjects.
This is apparent in the lab reports and transcripts that survive from MKULTRA, as well as the testimony of Nazi scientists at the Nuremberg tribunals. It’s difficult as a normal person to understand, but most of these men were not pure evil; nor were they simply following orders. They were only men—men who lost sight of the rational horizon. They became divorced from the fundamental humanity of their subjects, using dehumanizing terms like “the material” (MKULTRA), serial numbers (Nazis), or plain initials (MKULTRA again). They became obsessed with the answer to a question and lost track of everything else.