Theme Analysis
Science and its advancements will accomplish great and horrible things but it is not all powerful. But almost all powerful perhaps. "On one hand were the triumphs of science; on the other, the secrets of nature that science cannot know."(pg 200)
During Bosch's speech to the families of the deceased Oppau explosion workers the author cites his exact words. This is put in a key place in the book and it suddenly bring it all together. He starts with talking about the technicalities of the factory then finally addresses the emotions concerning the loss of life.
He says, "From time immemorial mankind's battle with natural forces has claimed innumerable victims, mostly less noticeably, because they didn't quite reach our awareness...this battle is not voluntary, it must be fought, and even today, even before these pen graves this inexorable "we must" already forces us back onto the path of fulfilling our duty." (pg 199)
This illustrates the theme of the book well. Both Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch were incredible scientists, whatever their flaws may have been. Both excelled at solving seemingly whatever they put their mind too (not including social issues). They both had moments where they failed, Bosch when Oppau exploded and during the depression and Haber with the failure of his second wife, and when he failed to extract gold from sea water. In the end though, they both died. They loved their country of Germany and Germany loved them but with the rise of Hitler they were both forced out of power. Bosch disagreed with Hitler's views and thus Hitler took him out of power. Bosch then drank himself to death. Haber left Germany when he noticed that the nazis gave no other Jewish scientists jobs- just him from his work on chemical warfare. He died from a heart attack in a hotel.
In the end, their science wasn't really enough. They tried and accomplished amazing things but did not succeed when finally put up against nature. There are some things that no amount of knowledge and inventiveness can help you with and that is the way of nature perhaps.
During Bosch's speech to the families of the deceased Oppau explosion workers the author cites his exact words. This is put in a key place in the book and it suddenly bring it all together. He starts with talking about the technicalities of the factory then finally addresses the emotions concerning the loss of life.
He says, "From time immemorial mankind's battle with natural forces has claimed innumerable victims, mostly less noticeably, because they didn't quite reach our awareness...this battle is not voluntary, it must be fought, and even today, even before these pen graves this inexorable "we must" already forces us back onto the path of fulfilling our duty." (pg 199)
This illustrates the theme of the book well. Both Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch were incredible scientists, whatever their flaws may have been. Both excelled at solving seemingly whatever they put their mind too (not including social issues). They both had moments where they failed, Bosch when Oppau exploded and during the depression and Haber with the failure of his second wife, and when he failed to extract gold from sea water. In the end though, they both died. They loved their country of Germany and Germany loved them but with the rise of Hitler they were both forced out of power. Bosch disagreed with Hitler's views and thus Hitler took him out of power. Bosch then drank himself to death. Haber left Germany when he noticed that the nazis gave no other Jewish scientists jobs- just him from his work on chemical warfare. He died from a heart attack in a hotel.
In the end, their science wasn't really enough. They tried and accomplished amazing things but did not succeed when finally put up against nature. There are some things that no amount of knowledge and inventiveness can help you with and that is the way of nature perhaps.