Allison Loudermilk
Hey, guys, and welcome to the podcast. This is Allison Loudermilk, the science editor at howstuffworks.com.
Robert Lamb: And this is Robert Lamb, science writer at howstuffworks.com. And we’re getting into the Halloween season here. And one of my favorite things about Halloween, my favorite Halloween costumes, my favorite Halloween ideas is of course the mad scientist.
Allison Loudermilk
Have you gone as a mad scientist before?
Robert Lamb
Oh, yes. I’ve gone as a mad scientist before.
Allison Loudermilk
A specific mad scientist or just a general mad scientist?
Robert Lamb
A specific mad scientist.
Allison Loudermilk
Who?
Robert Lamb
I went as Dr. Clayton Forrester from Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Allison Loudermilk
Excellent.
Robert Lamb
He has one of my favorite quotes about mad scientists in general, and mad science. He was being asked something, or there was a complicated issue that came up, and he responded, "It would take a scientist to explain and I’m simply too mad." But who comes to mind when you think of mad science and mad scientists?
Allison Loudermilk
Well, definitely some of the ones that we’re going to talk about today – Frankenstein, I would say. I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but I will, because it’s a podcast and you guys can’t see me. But I think of that guy from Back to the Future. Did we ever decide on his name? Doctor Holiday? Doc Holiday?
Robert Lamb
No, you’re getting your movies confused.
Allison Loudermilk
Okay.
Robert Lamb
You’re talking about Doc Hollywood and that was -
Allison Loudermilk
Is he the guy with the crazy hair?
Robert Lamb
No, no. That was Doc Brown.
Allison Loudermilk
Doc Brown, yeah. That’s who I think of.
Robert Lamb
He’s totally a mad scientist. And he’s played by Christopher Lloyd. That’s a great example of a cinematic mad scientist.
Allison Loudermilk
Okay, so that’s what I think of.
Robert Lamb
He’s into crazy fringy science.
Allison Loudermilk
He’s got the hair.
Robert Lamb
He’s got the hair. He’s not playing by the rules. I believe he was getting plutonium from terrorists or something. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen it. And then ultimately experimenting without a strict scientific method going on. There’s not really a method to his madness.
Allison Loudermilk
But is there a method to some of our mad scientists madness today?
Robert Lamb
Ther
e is.
Allison Loudermilk
And science? Is there a method to their madness and their science?
Robert Lamb
Well, there’s definitely a method to it.
Allison Loudermilk
So we’re going to talk about two of the biggies today.
Robert Lamb
Yeah, certainly one of the biggies and then another one that resonates in American culture in the past couple of decades. But mad scientists, when you boil it down and when they’re not serving as just a plot device, they basically embody society’s collective fears and misgivings about the advancement of science and how science can be exploited.
Filed under: Stuff to Blow Your Mind Tagged: allison, Frankenstein, fringe science, mad scientists, robert, stuff from the science lab, Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast
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