"Genetics after Auschwitz" by David Suzuki
David Suzuki's credibility as a prominent geneticist, environmentalist, writer, and prolific broadcaster make him an influencial entity to the Scientific community.
In the essay "Genetics after Auschwitz", the audience that David Suzuki is addressing is the scientific community, primarily geneticists. He achieves this through a constant persuasive tone. Throughout his essay he states several times as to how the scientific commmunity chooses to ignore their history. He quoted on one of Müller-Hill's articles that states how "[G]eneticists have refused-and even now refuse-to acknowledge their history."
Suzuki utilized Josef Mengele, a doctor who practised notorious genetic experiments at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, as a primary example throughout his essay to substantiate how geneticists disregard their history. He further corroborates this theory by mentioning that "...never in all the years of my education or during my entire career as a scientist did I encounter his name except in the popular press. In the field of science, Mengele does not exist."
The author disputes the fact that even though Josef Mengele was unethical in his ways he was still a scientist whose history should not be ignored by geneticists today. He defends his point of view by stating that "I do not believe for a minute that Josef Mengele was merely an abberration, who can therefore be lightly dismissed." Furthermore he states that "...unless we acknowledge the likes of Josef Mengele...we could quickly forget the lessons of history he provides."
If scientists proceed on this path of continuously choosing to disregard all disreputable scientific history they may end up engrossed in the same horrendous actions that took place during the Nazi regim in Germany.
Do you believe that people learn from past experiences or they choose to ignore them only to find themselves faced with a similar situation?
In the essay "Genetics after Auschwitz", the audience that David Suzuki is addressing is the scientific community, primarily geneticists. He achieves this through a constant persuasive tone. Throughout his essay he states several times as to how the scientific commmunity chooses to ignore their history. He quoted on one of Müller-Hill's articles that states how "[G]eneticists have refused-and even now refuse-to acknowledge their history."
Suzuki utilized Josef Mengele, a doctor who practised notorious genetic experiments at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, as a primary example throughout his essay to substantiate how geneticists disregard their history. He further corroborates this theory by mentioning that "...never in all the years of my education or during my entire career as a scientist did I encounter his name except in the popular press. In the field of science, Mengele does not exist."
The author disputes the fact that even though Josef Mengele was unethical in his ways he was still a scientist whose history should not be ignored by geneticists today. He defends his point of view by stating that "I do not believe for a minute that Josef Mengele was merely an abberration, who can therefore be lightly dismissed." Furthermore he states that "...unless we acknowledge the likes of Josef Mengele...we could quickly forget the lessons of history he provides."
If scientists proceed on this path of continuously choosing to disregard all disreputable scientific history they may end up engrossed in the same horrendous actions that took place during the Nazi regim in Germany.
Do you believe that people learn from past experiences or they choose to ignore them only to find themselves faced with a similar situation?