5
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] irotsoma@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

No, the politicians who created the systems of government that led to genocides did not contribute anything positive to society. The scientists who created things that aided in those genocides also did not contribute anything positive because all of the things they created in the name of murder were used for murder.

Did some scientists exist in that time period that contributed to society, yes, did the existence of these empires make it more likely that they created that technology? Who knows, I mean maybe Hitler chose to fund a truly good scientist that the previous system might not have, but maybe a Jewish scientist living in Poland that they killed might have invented the same technology if they hadn't invaded and killed them.

There are very few advances in all of human history that were suddenly revolutionary. Just because one person often gets to publish the results first, doesn't mean they even had anything to do with the invention, much less helped it along. Just look as Edison or Ford as an example. They were no different than Musk and what little he himself contributed, we just have a lot more documentation and it's harder for Musk to hide behind his company than Ford or Edison. Almost all technology is incremental and it's much more likely that all the money spent on developing weapons during that time period would have been used to develop positive things that would have advanced civilization faster and for the better. Not to mention all of the money spent to fight and then recover from those wars. And even more so all of the brilliant people who were killed in the name of those wars whether as part of the genocide or by being drafted into the military or departments responsible for genocide.

Any minor beneficial gains would have been gotten much more cheaply and quickly by spending on civilian than military research even if that military research might have eventually been used to become civilian technology.

[-] glasratz@feddit.org 2 points 16 hours ago

Who knows, I mean maybe Hitler chose to fund a truly good scientist that the previous system might not have, but maybe a Jewish scientist living in Poland that they killed might have invented the same technology if they hadn’t invaded and killed them.

That's something that is often overlooked in the whole affair. Starting as early as April 1933, universities were purged of all Jewish professors and lecturers, with other political purges following. There just weren't enough competent Nazi-aligned people around to fill those positions. In many subjects research ground to a halt, went completely askew or at least had to bare with a loss of experience.

Then there was also the implementation of the "Führerprinzip" (literally "leader principle") into science, which meant there always had to be one leading figure that all others were subordinate to. This meant that most scientific discourse was squashed and research was usually only directed in one single direction. This lead to some well-organized, laser-focused projects. But at the same time, floks of physicians wasted their time on trying to figure out whether cleft jaw was heredetary and whether people suffering from it should be sterilized - just one example.

this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2026
5 points (100.0% liked)

Ask Science

17488 readers
52 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.

For answers to historical questions, please check out our sister community: !askhistorians@lemmy.world


founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS