Winter Term 2005 Midterm

John Miller

Professor Philip Jenks

Forbidden Knowledge

12:30 – 1:45

Part I

Question – Are we morally incriminating ourselves by drawing knowledge from research that would be considered torturous and inhuman? Should we even consider using such information to further our own experiments? Even if it means a cure for someone who has been ravaged by a disease or injured in an accident?

Both the Japanese and Germans during World War II performed several experiments on live subjects. Japan would perform experiments such as placing infected people among healthy prisoners to see how quickly the disease and death would spread. They would then subject these prisoners to exploratory surgery without anesthesia to see how the disease affected internal organs (Goliszek, 45). The Germans subjected prisoners to experiments that included, testing the bodies tolerance to hypothermia, and inserting glass, mustard gas, and sawdust into wounds to see how long before lethal gangrene set in (Golisezek, 93). Both countries also tested new chemicals and other biological weapons on prisoners to determine their effects.

When World War II ended, it was recommended to General Macarthur that none of the higher echelon scientists be brought up on war crimes charges. Macarthur agreed and granted immunity to all top scientists involved in exchange for all information recorded (Goliszek, 46). The United States used this information to further their chemical weapons programs (Goliszek, 18). This was the foundation for Project: Paperclip.

Project: Paperclip was a plan to secretly relocate former Nazi and Japanese scientists to the United States, grant immunity for crimes during World War II, and put them to work on the government payroll by working on experiments that had been started prior to World War II. This was all done to deter these scientists from going to work for the Soviet Union instead (Goliszek, 99).

I do not agree with the position the U.S. military took on this subject. To be persuaded along these lines to see what sort of new directions these discoveries could go in seems no better than the experiments taking place before the end of World War II. I found two passages from the Tao-Te Ching that supports this,

“There is no greater illusion than fear, no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself.” (Lao Tzu, 26)

“When government officials spend money on weapons instead of cures…It is not in keeping with the Tao.” (Lao Tzu, 27)

These both speak to me on how the government should have properly reacted to the situation. I don’t feel this information should have been considered, given as to how it was discovered. This is the major problem I find that leads me to say, “No, we shouldn’t make use of the information provided by the Japanese and the Germans.” The inhumane, barbaric treatment they used on their misfortunate patients is unacceptable. It troubles me, how the doctors referred to their patients as, “Logs” (Goliszek, 43).

A doctor’s role is not to inflict pain but to provide care and relief. But these doctors did share the same beliefs of, “We should say that individuals and institutions should aim at cultivating compassion in health care” (Boleyn-Fitzgerald, 20).

Part II

In Chalmers Johnson’s, “The Sorrows Of Empire,” he compares the current multitude of bases the United States military has around the world to ancient Rome’s conquered territories. These bases serve a number of purposes, both public and covert like, spying on foreign and domestic enemies and providing jobs for private organizations, such as, spying on both members of foreign countries and U.S. citizens by monitoring their electronic device’s transmissions. The vast majority of people around the world whose lands are being occupied by these bases don’t want the military there. Through the actions of the U.S. military’s private agenda, we are alienating ourselves from other countries. And the citizens of the U.S. will suffer the consequences.

I find Johnson’s claims to be well founded. One example of our military displaying these actions comes from the occupied lands in Okinawa that our bases sit on. It’s clearly spell out by the anger of the natives of the island over the military seizing twenty percent of the island for base use. They also were enraged over the rape that two marines and a sailor committed against a twelve-year-old girl (Johnson, 6).

The United States seizing land in Greenland for another base is another example. There have been many protests held and even a lawsuit brought against the U.S. by Denmark to get the military to leave.

Part III

For the Diversity of Human Experience, we were introduced to “Lao Tzu: Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching.” This led us to learn teachings from an ancient culture and basis for a religion. The Tao-te Ching tied in well with “The Sorrows of Empire.” It amazed me how insightful Lao Tzu was. For example, when he urges all politicians to adopt the practice of inaction and only to intercede in other nations affairs when it is a necessity and then only inconspicuously (Lao Tzu, 20). In “The Sorrows of Empire,” we see how the United States military has done the complete opposite of Lao Tzu’s teachings and put our nation in an uneasy spot with the rest of the world. “Waco: Rules of Engagement,” also revolves around this same pattern. The government went in with much fanfare and greatly used the media to showcase itself as being in the right. This contradicts Lao Tzu’s teachings about when it’s necessary to act out.

I also see how the goal of Ethical Issues and Social Responsibility ties into the three subjects studied in the term. I feel this goal is meant to make us more aware of what’s happening in our world. These readings and film serve that very purpose.

I immediately realized Johnson’s message. It’s that the situation needs dire changing and someone needs to step in and halt the military’s ways before it gets too far out of hand. The footage documenting the Waco standoff also showed our government acting without properly thinking out the situation or the consequences. Lao Tzu’s teachings would have greatly benefited these incidences. As difficult as they are to put into practice these days, the effort should be made to prevent another catastrophe or standoff that goes horribly awry.

Works Cited