The death of a scientist

The death of a scientist


Amongst the intellectuals of the World, scientists are the most sought after people as per as the World powers are concerned.

Philosophers and poets are never on the good books of the World powers. They may spread dangerous ideas weakening the power base of the powers that be.
Scientists in comparison are very different. These are the people who without thinking about their personal desires, work tirelessly to open up new frontiers of knowledge.

To the rulers and statesmen, the scientists are like the magicians who can always come up with a new rabbit from their hats, in this case a glorious invention which can be either a great weapon to install fear into the hearts of their enemies or awesome gadgets to keep their always unruly people busy with trivial pursuits of kernel pleasure.

That is the reason that even scientists who may have cooperated with the erstwhile enemies, become highly admired and respected amongst the ruling classes of the victors. The end of World War-II saw a great hunt for Nazi rocket scientists, possession of whom was considered a great advantage in the cold war by either side.
Not all scientists enjoy same sort of luck though.

Indeed to the great powers, if some scientists can be the most sought after commodities during the war, at the same times those very same scientists, who are other side of the fence, could be considered as great enemy assets worthy of destruction alike any other strategic piece of infrastructure.

The death of a scientist thus becomes so paramount for the powers of the World.

The recent case of the murder of the Iranian nuclear scientist has to be seen in this context.

The West in general and America in particular are always fond of inviting and exploiting the best brains from the developing World i.e. the East.

The same scientists become the targets of murders and assassinations once these scientists decide to work for their own lands.

The pursuit of knowledge is great as long as the pursuers i.e. the scientists happen to be on the right side of the fences.

The pursuit of knowledge is thus acceptable only as per as it is done for the right side in question.

The pursuit of knowledge by the other side is considered a threat to the “peace and security of the International community”.

In the end, it is humanity which suffers most when some of its best minds are destroyed. The human urge to dominate and control thus again vanquishes the human quest for knowledge and intrigue.

One fortunate thing though, however cruel and inhuman we are, we humans will always value the pursuers of knowledge more than the destroyers of humanity’s best minds.

After all who knows the name of the Roman soldier today who decapitated Archimedes? Who cares about the executioners of Lavoisier in this century?

I say this to the grieving family of the murdered Iranian scientist, “Your son today, joined the ranks of those great minds of yesteryear, who died while fighting to expand the boundaries of knowledge. The bones of your son’s executioners will grind to the dust of infamy and oblivion. History will ensure that.”