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The amount of scientific innovation in Nazi Germany is incredibly overhyped. In reality outside of rockets they made very few major advances. And even in Rocket
by neaden 8y ago
The amount of scientific innovation in Nazi Germany is incredibly overhyped. In reality outside of rockets they made very few major advances. And even in Rocketry there were major scientific breakthroughs, just improved engineering. The medical experiments inflicted on prisoners were useless scientifically, just pure sadism. The "experiments" to test hypothermia for instance often did not record the patience weight, the temperature and volume of the water, and other factors. Not to mention that the experiments were being conducted on people who were often on the verge of starvation and in terrible health. They provide no useful data.
Not to mention their rejection of "Jewish Physics", science in Nazi Germany was incredibly politicized and if your research didn't conform to the dogma you had to change it or risk your life.
- mrkstu 8y agoYep, Nazi Germany was coasting off the pre-eminent position in the sciences it had prior to the rise of Nazism. If it had somehow survived WWII it would have had a rapid and persistent decline in leading edge research.
- beaconstudios 8y agohm, I did not know that. I'd picked up a perception that the Nazis were innovative in quite a few scientific disciplines, at least partially due to their complete disdain for ethics, but it sounds like that belief is unfounded.
- neaden 8y agoIt's the whole mad science angle that we have in our culture I think. But that ignores that ethics are tied to things like oversight, methodology, and being objective which are all important for research.
- evgen 8y agoIt is also worth noting that a lot of those mad-science projects that we look back at and consider potentially visionary were often stabs in the dark by scientists who saw a ministry picking up their project as a way to avoid conscription into the army. They were seldom backed up by any real science and frequently had little chance of success, but they somewhat resemble something that was developed later so we assume the project leads knew what they were doing...
- jonhendry18 8y agoAlso, perhaps they were adept at playing on the misconceptions or weird beliefs of those in powerful positions.
- jonhendry18 8y agoThey also fell behind Russia in tank manufacturing technologies like submerged arc welding (which allowed making large, deep, quality welds) and casting large pieces of steel for armor.