Hitler's Scientists

Science, War, and the Devil's Pact

By: John Cornwell

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

When Hitler came to power in the 1930s, Germany had led the world in science, mathematics, and technology for nearly four decades. But while the fact that Hitler swiftly pressed Germany's scientific prowess into the service of a brutal, racist, xenophobic ideology is well known, few realize that German scientists had knowingly broken international agreements and basic codes of morality to fashion deadly weapons even before World War I. In Hitler's Scientists, historian John Cornwell explores German scientific genius in the first half of the twentieth century and shows how Germany's early lead in the new physics led to the discovery of atomic fission, which led the way to the atom bomb, and how the ideas of Darwinism were hijacked to create the lethal doctrine of racial cleansing.

By the war's end, almost every aspect of Germany's scientific culture had been tainted by the exploitation of slave labor, human experimentation, and mass killings. Ultimately, it was Hitler's profound scientific ignorance that caused the Fatherland to lose the race for atomic weapons, which Hitler would surely have used. Cornwell argues that German scientists should be held accountable for the uses to which their knowledge was put, an issue with wide-ranging implications for the continuing unregulated pursuit of scientific progress.

©2003 John Cornwell (P)2003 Listen & Live Audio, Inc. Recorded by arrangement with Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Critic reviews

"Cornwell is a gifted writer with a fascinating story to tell, which he ably and engagingly accomplishes." (Publishers Weekly)
"Cornwell's narrative aspires to a philosophical focus, emphasizing the tacit evil of complicity and the seductive lie of so-called pure research....A polemic but a timely one appropriate for audiences beyond war and science buffs." (Booklist)

A good combination

This was a very interesting and enjoyably read combination of science in Germany, Hitler's serious character flaws, and the largely unsuccessful military use of technology in two wars. The only dissapointment was the end of the book where the author delves into social science and morality. His sources and conclusions are so poorly chosen that it made me question the historical facts he presented earlier. Skip the gibberish of the last few chapters and enjoy the history.

Interesting

I found this book to be a little more technical than I thought it would be but was hooked, nevertheless.
Fascinating.

A must read for all scientist!

If you are either a World War II buff or work in the sciences, this book is extremely informative. John Cornwell does an excellent job in providing insight on how each scientific achievement helped the Allies win the war and conversely how Hitler's decisions regarding technology lost the Axis powers the war. He does an excellent job in the last chapter explaining how the scientific community can learn from the mistakes in the past as well as describing how today's scientist cannot ignore the social and geopolitical ramifications of his/her technological break-through(s). This is especially true when they can be put to use in the battle field.

Good

I enjoyed this book a great deal, but it left me wanting more. I suppose that this is a characteristic of a good book... but it left a lot of unanswered questions. It seemed to skim over a lot of important aspects of the war, such as the Nazi "war on cancer" and even their race to build an A-bomb. Still, I recommend this book if only for the final chapter about science and social responsibility.

Dangerous scientists - researchers still exist

The reality is that These dangerous scientists and researchers with PhDs exist today. Racist, sexists, monsters who do evil and are paid to conduct their "research" is easily covered up with "tenure". Where ground truth is based on trust and honesty, some scientists abuse their blind trust they are privileged to; Some PhDs go on to horrifically abuse people / students/ staff and their positions. This book gives a look back into history that shaped and paved the way from Hilter's time to the current malignant dangerous scientists today, in 2021.