Technological Advancement in Faust, Accident, Life of Galileo, Oppenheimer, and The Physicists :: Faust Essays

The Cost of Technological Advancement Exposed in Faust, Accident, Life of Galileo, Oppenheimer, and The Physicists  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Since the beginning of time, man has taken every step possible to advance technology.   Advancements in medicine, aviation, science, and other areas, have made our world a better place to live.   But there have also been technological developments that perhaps have hurt mankind far greater than any benefit that they have provided. Through their works, five German authors present readers with a very difficult question: Is the technology really worth it?   These authors present many common themes.   In this essay I will discuss these themes and how they relate to the social cost of advancing technology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first play that I read this past semester was Goethe’s â€Å"Faust.†Ã‚   This play is centered around the life of the scientist and doctor, Faust.   Faust is a very intelligent man who has excelled in life as a scientist and a doctor.   Though everyone looks up to him and thinks he is a great man, he still thinks that he does not know enough.   He believes that every bit of knowledge that there is to be attained must be attained.   This belief coupled with the unhappiness he possesses with life leads him to make the ultimate decision which, in turn, ruins both his life and the life of others, all because he was selfish, and wanted to know it all and couldn’t do it on his own.   Faust made a bet with Mephistopheles, the devil.   This bargaining with the devil is something that the mind should never know about.   Two people ended up dying because of the involvement Faust played in their lives because of this little bet that he mad e with Mephisto.   And the only question that can be asked is â€Å"was it really worth watching others die just so he could be happy?†Ã‚   And the answer is no.   He saw the woman he loved and her brother die before him because of his selfishness, his desire to milk life and knowledge for all that they were worth.   And what did Faust gain?   In my opinion, nothing.   He only lost.   Some things in the world are worth knowing.   Some things are even worth going to extremely great ordeals to know them.   But in Faust’s case, he was childish, immature, and selfish.   He became so depressed and had to know more, even though most people would have killed to be as fortunate as he was.