Mad scientist

A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, either villainous, or benign and scatterbrained. Whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, the mad scientist is often working with some utterly fictional technology in order to forward his or her evil schemes. Alternatively, he or she doesn't see the evil that will ensue from the hubris of "playing God". Because of recent profusion of geek culture modern mad scientist depictions are often satirical and humorous rather than critical. Some are actually protagonists, such as Dexter in the cartoon series Dexter's Laboratory.

Defining characteristics

Mad scientists are typically characterized by obsessive behaviour and the employment of extremely dangerous or unorthodox methods. They often are motivated by revenge, seeking to settle real or imagined slights, typically related to their unorthodox studies.

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Their laboratories often hum with Tesla coils, Van de Graaff generators, Jacob's ladders, perpetual motion machines, and other visually impressive electrical oddments, or are decorated with test tubes and complicated distillation apparatus containing strangely-colored liquids with no obvious purpose.

Related Topics:
Tesla coil - Van de Graaff generator - Jacob's ladder - Perpetual motion - Test tube - Distillation

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Other traits include:

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• Pursuit of science without regard to its destructive or even ethical implications (such as violating the Nuremberg Code).
• Self-experimentation.
• Playing God, tinkering with nature.
• Lack of normal relationships, often to the point of being hermits.
• Perpetually unkempt appearance or physical deformity, including forgetfulness towards basic but uninteresting tasks.
• In English-language works: Speaking with a German or Eastern European accent. (This was in large part the result of many scientists from Germany and Eastern Europe emigrating to the United States in two waves: one before World War II comprising refugees from Nazism, and one after the war comprising refugees from the Soviet Union and, in some cases, former Nazi employees. See: Operation Paperclip).
• In villains, maniacal laughter, especially pronounced when their experiments reach their climax.
• They have some academic degree, usually Doctor or Professor .
• They are almost invariably white males.

It is notable that most of these traits are little more than exaggerations of typical stereotypes of normal scientist behavior: Scientists are often stereotyped as being obsessive about their work, taking a dim view of societal considerations that interfere with it, perpetually adopting a "disinterested" worldview for the purposes of objectivity, etc. It is also perhaps interesting to note that the general public encounters working scientists largely while taking college classes from them. In this stratified environment, it is easy for professors to give an impression of being egotistical, obsessed with their research, or unconcerned.

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As a fictional archetype, the mad scientist can be seen as representing the fear of the unknown, and the consequences that will result when humanity dares to meddle with "things that are best left unknown." Similarly, the tendency of the mad scientist to place himself in the role of God may be an extension of the differences between religion and science, as exemplified by such topics as the debate over evolution -- which is a favorite subject for mad scientists, who often create fantastic beasts and monsters in their laboratories. When the Frankenstein monster was born, its creator Dr. Frankenstein cried out, "Now I know what it feels like to be God!" This statement was considered controversial enough for the line to be censored from the 1931 filmed version of the story.

Related Topics:
God - Evolution - Frankenstein - Censored

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There is no firm dividing line between sane scientists and mad scientists, and the ones mentioned in the rest of this article cover the entire spectrum.

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For a contrasting view of scientific exploration, see the List of heroic fictional scientists.

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