Transcendence was just the latest piece of pop culture to depict wrongheaded scientists playing God, and a lot of people complained about its anti-science message. But that made us wonder: Does a cautionary tale about science have to be anti-science?
After all, Frankenstein is often described as the first science fiction novel, and it depicts science gone wrong. And many of our favorite characters are mad scientists. Real-life good science depends on experimental limits and careful parameters, so is there anything intrinsically wrong with depicting what happens when those limits aren’t respected?
What do you think: Can a story warn about the dangers of science without being anti-science? And what’s your favorite cautionary tale, if any?
