Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle asserts that our attitudes, as well as resulting behaviors, toward the implications of scientific innovation affect the decisions we make . In doing so, he pushes the reader to investigate the potential repercussions of seeing science as some sort of Holy Grail, following it as if it were a religion. The individuals in the novel who rely solely on the acquisition of knowledge are those who contribute to the end of the world, an outcome meant to highlight the dangers of not looking beyond the objective facts. This tendency to undermine the importance of everything but science is evident in the behaviors of many characters in the novel, the first of which is Felix Hoenikker, a man instrumental in the creation of the atomic bomb who does not contemplate how his work might affect the world . As an individual who is “simply not interested in people” (Vonnegut 13), he routinely fails to relate what he does as a scientist to the moral implications his work has on society at large. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay With little or no regard for others, “people fail to get to [Felix],” and when confronted with the concept of sin as it related to the creation of his atomic bomb, Felix responded: “ 'what is sin?'” (Vonnegut 17). With no interest in the activity of human beings and focused solely on solving the problems he sees before him, Felix cannot know sin, something that exists only in the context of morality. Felix sees science as an arbitrary act; therefore, moral responsibility does not affect his decisions. The reason people fail to “reach” Felix is ​​because he acts as if he were part of a scientific machine – a device designed for a specific, methodical purpose – rather than as if he were part of a larger human society. For this reason he does not recognize that he can influence others through science; he sees his machine as a closed system. In his mind, not only can nothing influence him, but nothing he does can influence anything other than scientific innovation itself. This complacent attitude towards the results of technology is also present in Dr. Asa Breed, the director of the Research Center. Laboratory, who greatly respects Felix and his work. Breed believes so fervently in science that he quickly expresses frustration that his lab is “one of the few companies that actually hire men to do pure research” – research he describes as “increasing knowledge” and “working” toward no other end if not that” (Vonnegut 41). Dazed by this idea, John suggests that it is "very generous" (Vonnegut 41) of them to do this, but is quickly rebuffed by Breed when he insists that there is "nothing generous about this" because "[n]ew knowledge it is the most precious commodity on earth” (Vonnegut 41). Like Felix, Breed does not worry about the repercussions of the research or its use, even though he is sure that “it will end up as a weapon, one way or another” ( Vonnegut 26), as Breed's son argues. What Vonnegut suggests here, according to Zins, is that in order for “science [to be] saved from a technocracy that blindly serves the nuclear state and exacerbates the militarism of the world… the individual scientist [ must refuse] to be complicit in the terminal process” (Zins 173). Breed's son chose to stop working in the laboratory because he looked beyond the objective research conducted and saw the potential for its use in other words; he refused to becomplicit in the “crime” of creating weapons. Although Breed and Felix did not consciously decide to be complicit in this process, their failure to recognize the importance of what their research truly meant prevented them from refusing to take part in it. Not only this method of thinking pushes Felix to continue conducting scientific activities. without moral regard, it is projected towards its children throughout their childhood. He paid so little attention to them that when Newt was six and his father showed him the cat's cradle, Newt was terrified because "not only had [Felix] never played with [him] before, but he hadn't even spoken to him" (Vonnegut 12). The lack of love and familial support her children received led them to trade their ice crystals: Angela used it to "buy herself a cat husband", Frank used it to "buy herself a job", and Newt he used it to “buy himself a week on Cape Cod with a Russian dwarf” (Vonnegut 243). They didn't engage Ice Nine in exchange for financial gain or a position of absolute power; they traded it to earn a place where they belonged, a place their father's lack of human interaction had deprived them of. Growing up in a home that valued only science led the Hoenikker children to grow up with the exact opposite problem that their father suffered from: instead of not giving any importance to people and everything related to science, they gave very little importance to science and to most things. of it on people. Comparable to how children forced to conform to strict religious practices often fervently rebel against their church when they come of age, Felix's obsessive religious affinity towards science has left his children wanting everything but science. For this reason they deemed it appropriate to exchange Ice-Nine for company, without pausing to consider the effects of the scientific technology in their possession. We also see this blind acceptance of science in “father” Monzano, who, despite being a Bokononist, firmly believed in the power of science; this was made clear to us not only through his staunch opposition to allowing citizens to practice Bokononism, but through brazen remarks in which he states that "science is the strongest thing there is" and that Frank will succeed as a leader because “[he] ha[s] science” (Vonnegut 146). In his lack of regard for Frank's true leadership potential and emphasis placed solely on science, “Pope” is used by Vonnegut as a prime example of this which can happen when we consider nothing other than the truth of science. Similar to the way he chose Frank to be the next president of San Lorenzo, the way he chose to kill himself by ingesting ice nine shows his contempt for everything in the world. outside of technology. affinity with science, which "[is] a member of the Bokononist faith" (Vonnegut 218), a religion founded on lies and for which the only sacred thing is "man" (Vonnegut 210) Although he believes in Bokononism, he vehemently denounces it before his death, urging Frank to "kill [Bokonon] and teach [the people] the truth"; the truth he refers to is science, what he also describes as “magic that works” (Vonnegut 218). In contrasting belief in the truth of science to belief in the lies of Bokononism, Vonnegut states that while science may be the basis through which we gain knowledge and progress technologically, faith in man is what is truly valuable. In the end, although “father” Monzano followed the last rites of Bokononism before he died, the his choice to use science – in the form of ice nine – to end his life,rather than letting things take their natural course is what led to the end of the world. By choosing to believe in science rather than man, “Dad” places importance on solitary happiness rather than social success. He took ice nine because it was a solution to end his pain, the same pain he had carelessly inflicted on others by choosing to cease his own suffering. Ice nine itself turns out to be a symbol of loneliness: this is what ultimately leads to the end of the world. Ice-nine was born of "selfish recklessness and isolation" that "lies latent in [its] inventor's extreme alienation from his children" (Faris 46). Like ice, Felix, described by his son Newt as “one of the best protected human beings who ever lived” (Vonnegut 13), can easily be considered cold, a trait that Faris states comes “from a lack of [passion]” ( 47). Felix's motivation for creating the atomic bomb and ice-nine stemmed from pure curiosity about the problems presented to him. He cared nothing about creating things for the good of man; instead, he lived his life “looking for things to play with and think about” (Vonnegut 16), rather than finding solutions to the problems he observed. It is therefore not surprising that an inaccessible man like Felix created a substance that, isolated, will do no harm. Ice-nine is described as “a seed” that “teaches atoms [a] new way to stack and lock together” (Vonnegut 45). This means that when ice-nine is exposed to other water molecules, it causes a chain reaction through which each molecule in the chain transforms into ice-nine. Isolated, however, the ice-nine can do no harm, and the same can be said of Felix. If he had been left to his own devices and not influenced by other scientists who wanted him to work on the atomic bomb and ice nine, he could not have done any harm. Felix was not interested in the application of his experiments; if there was no one there who could use his technology for anything, then it would have no effect on the world, because otherwise Felix would be isolated. As “Daddy” Monzano took the ice-nine and exposed it to the world, a Marine general prompted the creation of the ice-nine by “hounding [Felix] to do something about the mud” (Vonnegut 42). In this respect, ice-nine is a recreation of Felix Hoenikker himself. Vonnegut's way of involving those not directly involved in the spread of ice-nine – the Marine general, Felix's sons – employs a critique of the existing order that Jubouri Al Ogali & Babaee say “provides a proposition that l 'authorial intentionality goes towards the existing political order' (97). When Marvin Breed makes a witty remark about how "to suppose it is high treason, ungrateful, ignorant, backward, and anti-intellectual to call a famous dead man like Felix Hoenikker a son of a bitch" (Vonnegut 42), he laments how the status of someone being “famous” grants them immunity against justified criticism. In emphasizing how uncomfortable this makes Marvin (and John), Vonnegut urges us to consider whose hands we place the responsibility; leads us to wonder how our perception of power clouds our judgment of someone's ability to act in our best interests. Allowing people in power to take on all the responsibilities for competing in the arms race “results in alienation within human societies” (Jubouri Al Ogali & Babeee 97). In this way, Vonnegut not only criticizes men like Felix and Dr. Breed for refusing responsibility for their actions, but also anyone who allows people in power to behave so irresponsibly. It is also worth noting how Vonnegut characterizes the narrator.