Books we're reading this month

Hitler’s Scientists: Science, war and the Devil’s pact, by John Cornwell (Viking, 2003)

The question is, how did so many highly educated scholars, scientists and teachers fall prey to such a diabolical scheme as National Socialism? The answer in this book seems to be: Job security. Early in the program, there was a chance you could miss that promotion or even be dismissed from the faculty if you didn’t pursue the right research questions; if you did, you got your contract renewed, a bigger research grant, perhaps even a nicer office.

It really is as simple as that. An evil madman can take over the world because of that little urge we all have to just go along to get along and keep our eyes on that biweekly paycheque prize. Within ten years, the simplest of schemes was months away from inventing, and using, atomic bombs, all because of those little choices we make everyday to accept things we don’t feel quite right about. Even if someone else will surely do the job, you’ve got to say “No” when you know you should. Otherwise, your name ends up in a book like this one, decades down the road.

- Kevin Potvin <kpotvin@republic-news.org>