For Science!: Difference between revisions

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[[Battle Cry]] for the [[Mad Scientist]], the [[Morally Ambiguous Doctorate]], [[Gadgeteer Genius]] and [[Science Hero]].

[[Battle Cry]] for the [[Mad Scientist]], the [[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate]], [[Gadgeteer Genius]] and [[Science Hero]].

This is one of the classic motivations for many a [[Science Is Bad]] movie, the researcher will seek [[The Dark Arts|forbidden]] knowledge for its own sake rather than to better the world; usually this simple [[Curiosity Is a Crapshoot|curiosity]] will evolve into "[[Ambition Is Evil|ambition]]" and "[[Pride|hubris]]" before long, as caution and restraint are thrown out the steel-barred [[Destination Defenestration|window]].

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When a scientist says he does something ''For Science!'', what this usually means is he simply doesn't care about the answers to several important questions regarding his research, like:

# Does it have any [[Just Think of the Potential|potential applications]] -- that are ''not'' [[Power Degeneration|immediately lethal]], [[Psycho Serum|full of side effects]], potentially genocidal, [[Apocalypse How|ecocidal]], or [[Omnicidal Maniac|omnicidal?]]

# Is there any way of gaining [[No Plans No Prototype No Backup|any replicable data or results?]]

# Is there any way of gaining [[No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup|any replicable data or results?]]

# [[Professor Guinea Pig|Where]] [[Guinea Pig Family|will I]] get [[Innocent Bystanders|test]] [[Disposable Vagrant|subjects?]]

# Can we make sure ''willing'' subjects are informed of all the risks involved in testing my dangerous untested invention?

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Remember, [[Science Is Bad]], but... but... ''[[Just Think of the Potential]]!'' Contrast [[Mad Artist|For Art!]] and [[I'm a Humanitarian|For Cuisine!]]

== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] ==

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* Major motivation of the [[Big Bad]] in ''[[Steamboy]]''. The movie leaves some ambiguity over whether he's ''right''.

* Washu from ''[[Tenchi Muyo]]!'' is ''just'' eccentric enough to pull off wanting to experiment on Tenchi without crossing into villainous water.<s>Though her daughter might be another matter...</s> Plus she's so darn cute! In the original script she ''was'' the villain, and Kagato was just an illusion created by her. But then the creative team decided she was far too fun a character to kill off, so the anime world got its greatest scientific genius, and got to keep her. It's also played for laughs considering what she wants from him and her [[Hello Nurse]] outfit just makes it even funnier. Plus all the things she says when she is getting her tissue and *ahem* fluid samples: "You want me to use my mouth?" Which is rejected, which eventually prompts her to give the "whole package."

* How much does [[Baccano (Light Novel)|Huey Laforet]] love this trope? So much so that he not only considers his own daughters (as well as everyone in the world [[Heterosexual Life Partners|sans Elmer]]) guinea pigs, he's also sired them purely For Science. ** We also have Fermet, who "tested the extent of their immortality" by stabbing hot fire pokers into Chez's [[Eye Scream|eye sockets]], throwing him into a fire, and bathing him in acid, etc, etc. [[Who Wants to Live Forever|For about 100 years]]. For ''science''. {{spoiler|Or so he claims. After Czeslaw kills him and absorbs his memories he states it was just a justification for him to indulge his sadism. And he should know.}}

* How much does [[Baccano (Light Novel)|Huey Laforet]] love this trope? So much so that he not only considers his own daughters (as well as everyone in the world [[Heterosexual Life Partners|sans Elmer]]) guinea pigs, he's also sired them purely For Science. ** We also have Fermet, who "tested the extent of their immortality" by stabbing hot fire pokers into Chez's [[Eye Scream|eye sockets]], throwing him into a fire, and bathing him in acid, etc, etc. [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|For about 100 years]]. For ''science''. {{spoiler|Or so he claims. After Czeslaw kills him and absorbs his memories he states it was just a justification for him to indulge his sadism. And he should know.}}

** Szilard is another example. His entire feud with Maiza is {{spoiler|he wouldn't share the secret of immortality}}. His plotline in 1930s revolves around completing the Grand Panecea. He regularly eats other immortals to acquire their knowledge, and has been known to grant partial immortality to people specifically so he could eat them, too.

* Doc from ''[[Hellsing]]'' explicitly states in the final volume that his whole motive was to push the boundaries of science. In the name of science, he created ghouls, Nazi vampires, cyborgs, weapons, a catboy with a tenuous grasp on causality, and assisted in the near total destruction of London. All For Science.

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* Werner Locksmith in ''[[Planetes]]'', who named his ship the von Braun (after his namesake) stands as a rare realistic, serious study of this trope. Science is Love + Love is Pain = [[Tear Jerker|reader bawls]].

{{quote| "It's okay, I won't be replaced even if I blow up one or two research facilities. Do you know why? Because I am a man of exceptional talent who can only love spaceships."}}

* ''[[Darker Than Black]]'' features the [[Affably Evil|whimsical]] Dr. Schrader, who works for [[The Syndicate]] because of the opportunities it gives him to research. At their bequest, he creates a device which will {{spoiler|wipe out all Contractors and Dolls, even though he has no real grudge against them}}. If said device didn't work as planned, it's quite plausible it would have killed ''everyone on earth'', but Schraeder still tries to start it up, even with [[No Plans No Prototype No Backup]]. When {{spoiler|the protagonist manages to prevent the genocide by destroying the machine}}, far from being angry, Dr. Schrader is impressed as it gives him something new to study.

* ''[[Darker Than Black]]'' features the [[Affably Evil|whimsical]] Dr. Schrader, who works for [[The Syndicate]] because of the opportunities it gives him to research. At their bequest, he creates a device which will {{spoiler|wipe out all Contractors and Dolls, even though he has no real grudge against them}}. If said device didn't work as planned, it's quite plausible it would have killed ''everyone on earth'', but Schraeder still tries to start it up, even with [[No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup]]. When {{spoiler|the protagonist manages to prevent the genocide by destroying the machine}}, far from being angry, Dr. Schrader is impressed as it gives him something new to study.

* In ''[[To Aru Majutsu no Index]]'', this trope seems to be the driving force of most of Academy City's scientists, doing crazy, incredibly dangerous and downright evil experiments just to make a Level 6 Esper. {{spoiler|And according to Telestina Lifeline, this is the ''entire'' purpose of Academy City.}}

* Let's have [[Midori Days|Dr. Shirou]] give us his point of view: "'''[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/midori_no_hibi/v03/c024/15.html SCIENCE IS JUSTICE!! SCIENCE IS TRUTH!!]"''' Thank you doctor.

* In [[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]], Verde not only willingly ''electrocutes'' a 5-year old (albeit a very annoying, electricity-proof one), but attempts to kill a 15 year old mafia boss, and numerous other things that make him kind of an antagonistic [[Jerkass]], all in the name of science.

* ''[[Franken Fran]]'' is dedicated to preserving life, cultivating love, and if those are absent, she'll do it [[For Science]]! Even when taking a case for the two former reasons, it'll still be a case study in [[Weird Science]].

* ''[[Franken Fran]]'' is dedicated to preserving life, cultivating love, and if those are absent, she'll do it [[For Science!]]! Even when taking a case for the two former reasons, it'll still be a case study in [[Weird Science]].

* In [[Naruto]]: Kabuto's motivation for his alliances with Orochimaru and later Madara.

* In [[Claymore]], Dae seems to exist solely to be overjoyed at seeing one of his [[Eldritch Abomination|pro]][[The Virus|ject]] going [[Gone Horribly Wrong|Horribly Wrong]] or [[Gone Horribly Right|Horribly Right]].

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* In ''[[X Men]] 41'', there's a scientist who invents a nuclear-powered machine that both creates earthquakes and irradiates the ground. His colleagues think he's nuts for inventing such a dangerous weapon, but he assures them it will only be used for the benefit of mankind.

* In one ''[[Dilbert]]'' comic, Dilbert invents a quantum computer capable of interacting with matter in a parallel universe to solve complex equations. Dogbert points out that according to Chaos Theory, the shifts he causes could very well destroy the other universe. Dilbert's response? "[[Getting Crap Past the Radar|Shift happens]]." (And Dogbert adds "Fire it up.")

* Occasionally the Batman [[Rogues Gallery|rogue]] Scarecrow is portrayed as using his Fear Toxin on people [[For Science]]. Other times, it is part of his backstory - he ''began'' by studying how fear works simply [[For Science]], but eventually becomes so obsessed with it that he crosses over into [[Mad Scientist]] territory.

* Occasionally the Batman [[Rogues Gallery|rogue]] Scarecrow is portrayed as using his Fear Toxin on people [[For Science!]]. Other times, it is part of his backstory - he ''began'' by studying how fear works simply [[For Science!]], but eventually becomes so obsessed with it that he crosses over into [[Mad Scientist]] territory.

* In ''Heroic Age: Villains'', ex-Nazi scientist Baron Wernher von Blitzschlag's "goal" is listed as "challenges". Indisputably a genius, the ancient man seeks nothing more than an endeavor that will distract him for more than a moment. Products of this desire include Ragnarok (a crazed clone of Thor) and KIA (a crazed clone of MVP).

* Also in Marvel, we have A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics), the premiere hyper-science villainous organization on Earth. If they're not being paid to build something devastating and/or horrifying, they're probably working on it anyway.

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* In [[Disturbing Behavior]] it is revealed that the [[Ax Crazy]] [[Mad Scientist]] thinks that doing behavioral modifications on high school students (including his own daughter!) is acceptable because "Science is ''GOD''!"

* In ''Bats'', [[Devil in Plain Sight|Obviously Evil]] [[Mad Scientist]] Dr. McCabe initially justifies creating the eponymous (killer and super-intelligent) bats with the words "I'm a scientist. That's ''what we do''. Make everything a little bit better." It's later hinted that it was a {{spoiler|secret government project}}, but still you have to wonder why the protagonists accepted that justification so well...

* [[So Bad ~~Its~~ Good]] ''[[MST3K]]'' classic ''[[The Beast of Yucca Flats]]'' involves Tor Johnson killing people in the name of "progress". Exactly what kind of progress you get from strangling people and [[Filming for Easy Dub|not looking at the camera]] is never made clear, but nobody ever accused ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'' of being a good movie.

* [[So Bad It's Good]] ''[[MST3K]]'' classic ''[[The Beast of Yucca Flats]]'' involves Tor Johnson killing people in the name of "progress". Exactly what kind of progress you get from strangling people and [[Filming for Easy Dub|not looking at the camera]] is never made clear, but nobody ever accused ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'' of being a good movie.

* In [[The Black Hole]], professor Reinhardt {{spoiler|turns the entire crew of his ship into mindless zombie androids}} and tries to kill the crew of the Palomino, just to satisfy his obsession of traveling into a black hole.

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* When the doddering, bespectacled scientist in ''[[The Beast From Twenty Thousand Fathoms (Film)|The Beast From Twenty Thousand Fathoms]]'' ([[Ray Harryhausen]]'s first film as sole special effects director) uses this as words of reassurance, you know he's about to be eaten by a [[Sea Monster|dinosaur]].

* The only conceivable reason why [[Herr Doctor|the doctor]] in ''[[The Human Centipede]]'' would think to {{spoiler|sew three people [[Squick|mouth-to-anus]] to create the titular human centipede}}.

* When Dr. Mannering in ''[[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (Film)|Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man]]'' is about to begin the operation to destroy both the [[~~Frankensteins~~ Monster]] and [[The Wolfman]], he's suddenly given the [[Idiot Ball]] and has an epiphany:

* When Dr. Mannering in ''[[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (Film)|Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man]]'' is about to begin the operation to destroy both the [[Frankenstein's Monster]] and [[The Wolfman]], he's suddenly given the [[Idiot Ball]] and has an epiphany:

{{quote| "I can't do it! I can't destroy Frankenstein's creation. I've got to see it at its full power!" }}

* This is the primary reason that human DNA was included in the genetic template for Dren in ''[[Splice (Film)|Splice]]''.

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* The Academy of Lagado, from ''[[Gullivers Travels]]'', seems to mainly be staffed by hopeless incompetents regularly reciting this to themselves as justification for their nonsensical and meaningless experiments. There is no possible reason to breed naked sheep, but apparently, science demands that they make the effort.

* The Professor in Haruki Murakami's novel ''[[Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World]]'' is perhaps the best example of this trope in literature. He essentially causes the nameless protagonist's (boku, 'I') mind to disconnect from all reality and degenerate, directly causing his death, in the course of involuntarily-performed experiments to further research which is 'purely' scientific and implied to be laughably obscure. Unlike most [[Mad Scientists]], however, (of which the Professor is otherwise a perfect example) the Professor is compassionate and genuinely sorry for the harm (death) he has caused.

* [[Mad Scientist|AUGUSTUS STRATTON.]] He actually yells [[For Science|FOR SCIENCE!]] on a regular basis. The story he's from is actually called [[For Science|SCIENCE!]], or, [[For Science|True Science]]. Same thing. His only motivation is finding truth and reality, something he believes only he can discover, for he is the one true scientist!

* [[Mad Scientist|AUGUSTUS STRATTON.]] He actually yells [[For Science!|FOR SCIENCE!]] on a regular basis. The story he's from is actually called [[For Science!|SCIENCE!]], or, [[For Science!|True Science]]. Same thing. His only motivation is finding truth and reality, something he believes only he can discover, for he is the one true scientist!

* While Dr. Quincy Wyatt of Nancy Werlin's novel Double Helix does have an intention to use his research to some better end, he remarks, after being asked of the legality of his work, "What a stupid thing to focus on Eli. I thought you'd be interested in the ''science'' here."

* [[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]: While Captain Nemo motivation is For [[Revenge]], [[The Professor]] Aronnax is willing to sacrificing [[Professor Guinea Pig|his own freedom for the rest of his life]] [[For Science|for the rare chance to discover all the sea’s secret in the Nautilus]]. Thankfully, he is not [[Guinea Pig Family|willing to sacrifice his friend’s freedom]].

* [[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]: While Captain Nemo motivation is For [[Revenge]], [[The Professor]] Aronnax is willing to sacrificing [[Professor Guinea Pig|his own freedom for the rest of his life]] [[For Science!|for the rare chance to discover all the sea’s secret in the Nautilus]]. Thankfully, he is not [[Guinea Pig Family|willing to sacrifice his friend’s freedom]].

* Jack, the main character of [[The Chronicles of Professor Jack Baling]], justifies his study of a perpetual motion machine {{spoiler|and his eventual murder of Nico}} on the basis that figuring out how it works will mean infinite renewable energy and the solution to a host of the world’s problems.

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** "We're about to shoot an [[Education Through Pyrotechnics|M-16 into a swimming pool]]! For Science!"

** "I'm going to jump into [[Shark Pool|shark-infested waters]] For Science!"

** A promo for the ''[[MacGyver]]'' special has Adam claiming "This is for [[Power of Love|love]], [[Money Dear Boy|money]], and science!"

** A promo for the ''[[MacGyver]]'' special has Adam claiming "This is for [[Power of Love|love]], [[Money, Dear Boy|money]], and science!"

** When the normally emotionless Jamie finally admits that the little marching robots he has built are "kinda cute", Adam agrees: "Cute... For science!"

** "We're creating rain... for science!"

** And lest we forget Adam's infamous "I [[Extreme Omnivore|Ate a]] [[It Makes Sense in Context|radio]] for science!"

* And before the Mythbusters, [[Bill Nye]] was showing off [[For Science]] tricks on [[Almost Live]].

* And before the Mythbusters, [[Bill Nye]] was showing off [[For Science!]] tricks on [[Almost Live]].

* ''[[Star Trek Voyager]]''

** "Scientific methods": where some aliens experiment on the crew... by randomly changing their genes. There are even lethal cases. They make B'Elanna and Paris [[Aliens Made Them Do It|horny too]]. I'd hate to think what that was in aid of...

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* Alton Brown, of ''[[Good Eats]]'', says this trope word for word when trying to coax his cameraman into getting into his "Vomitron" machine to test the effects of ginger on motion sickness.

* Stuart Radzinsky (and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Dharma Initiative) on ''[[Lost]]'' lives this trope to the core. How does it end? {{spoiler|With the Swan Incident. Although, to be fair, it's not clear that Radzinsky alone caused the Incident - the atomic bomb probably helped.}}

* ''[[Regenesis]]'' wonderfully inverts this. People in it [[For Science]] tend to be patient and reasonable regarding their studies. Almost every disaster is caused by people who have some practical real world application in mind because they are either under pressure to get results or convinced that the world is suffering without the benefits of their ideas.

* ''[[Regenesis]]'' wonderfully inverts this. People in it [[For Science!]] tend to be patient and reasonable regarding their studies. Almost every disaster is caused by people who have some practical real world application in mind because they are either under pressure to get results or convinced that the world is suffering without the benefits of their ideas.

* ''[[The Big Bang Theory (TV)|The Big Bang Theory]]'':

{{quote| '''Sheldon''': That was not a betrayal, that was an experiment to determine at what concentration food starts tasting "mothy".

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'''Sheldon''': For science. }}

* ''[[The West Wing (TV)|The West Wing]]'' invokes this more than once. First by Sam Seaborn in answer to the question, "Why should we go to Mars?" "Because it's what's next." Later by a scientific researcher. Why should we build the superconducting supercollider, what practical results will it get? None whatsoever, research for its own sake.

* ''[[~~I Carly~~ (TV)|I Carly]]'': Carly uses this excuse in ''iOMG'' to get Gibby to help her electrocute her brother for their semester project.

* ''[[ICarly (TV)|I Carly]]'': Carly uses this excuse in ''iOMG'' to get Gibby to help her electrocute her brother for their semester project.

* [[Mr. Show|Thank you very much, we have an announcement to make.]] [[Eagle Land|On July 4th of this year, America]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csj7vMKy4EI will blow up the moon!] [[We Can Rebuild Him|We have the technology]], [[For Science|the time is now, science can wait no longer]], [[Think of the Children|children are the future!]] America can, must, should, and ''will'' blow up the moon!

* [[Mr. Show|Thank you very much, we have an announcement to make.]] [[Eagle Land|On July 4th of this year, America]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csj7vMKy4EI will blow up the moon!] [[We Can Rebuild Him|We have the technology]], [[For Science!|the time is now, science can wait no longer]], [[Think of the Children|children are the future!]] America can, must, should, and ''will'' blow up the moon!

* ''[[House (TV)|House]]'': One of House's applicants {{spoiler|injects a patient with thallium so it looks like she has polio, then proceeds to "cure" her with massive doses of Vitamin C. The reason? He says he's seen polio be cured with this method, but the study that was to prove it in the 40s ran out of money before it worked. House gives him a head start before he calls the cops.}}

* In ''[[Firefly (TV)|Firefly]]'', Book obliquely hints that this may have been part of the reason why the Academy did so much physical damage to River's brain during the process of giving her [[Psychic Powers]], suggesting that they may have done what they did "just to see how much she could take." Knowing what we do about his [[Dark and Troubled Past]], he might be right.

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== Music ==

* There's a ''[[They Might Be Giants]]'' song called "For Science", about a man who agrees to become the loveslave of [[Green Skinned Space Babe|The Girl From Venus]], citing this reason. "I'm so brave," indeed.

* There's a ''[[They Might Be Giants]]'' song called "For Science", about a man who agrees to become the loveslave of [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|The Girl From Venus]], citing this reason. "I'm so brave," indeed.

* "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby. Okay, it was just shouting "SCIENCE!" But close enough.

* Why do the ''Consortium Of Genius'' do it? [http://www.consortiumofgenius.com/lyrics/whydowedoit.htm Because they're scientists!]

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== New Media ==

* One image in the Comedy Goldmine section of the website [[Something Awful]] depicts a young Goon trying to see if he won't get stung by a bee if he "steps on it really really fast"... [[For Science]], of course! He actually even says "[[For Science]]!" It... doesn't work out so well for the kid.

* One image in the Comedy Goldmine section of the website [[Something Awful]] depicts a young Goon trying to see if he won't get stung by a bee if he "steps on it really really fast"... [[For Science!]], of course! He actually even says "[[For Science!]]!" It... doesn't work out so well for the kid.

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* The Great Beings in ''[[Bionicle]]'' are living examples of this trope. Honestly, how else would you justify ''putting laser cannons on giant scorpion monsters''?

** [[Rule of Cool|How do you justify NOT doing so?]]

** Go to the Makuta species to find any variation of brutal warriors, cunning schemers or Evil slash [[Mad Scientist|Mad scientists]] that do half of their experiments [[For Science]] and [[For the Evulz]]. For examples, look no further than the Necrofinch (a bird that keeps singing even after death), the Electric Spider ([[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]]) or Blade Burrowers (a species designed to die within three days because the one that requested them for his army was acting like a douche).

** Go to the Makuta species to find any variation of brutal warriors, cunning schemers or Evil slash [[Mad Scientist|Mad scientists]] that do half of their experiments [[For Science!]] and [[For the Evulz]]. For examples, look no further than the Necrofinch (a bird that keeps singing even after death), the Electric Spider ([[Exactly What It Says On the Tin]]) or Blade Burrowers (a species designed to die within three days because the one that requested them for his army was acting like a douche).

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* ''[[Portal (Video Game)|Portal]]'''s Aperture Science -- "We do what we must because we can". ("For the good of all of us. Except the ones who are dead".) Most of their projects turn out to be comedic scientific overkill, such as creating a fuel system de-icer that is also an artificially intelligent supercomputer and inventing a device that bends the laws of space-time for "potential shower curtain applications". The founder of Aperture Science was pretty much insane from mercury poisoning when he started the company.

** And now, in ''[[Portal 2 (Video Game)|Portal 2]]'':

{{quote| '''[[G La DOS]]''' I think we can put our differences behind us. [[For Science|For science]]. [[You Monster|You monster]].}}

{{quote| '''[[G La DOS]]''' I think we can put our differences behind us. [[For Science!|For science]]. [[You Monster!|You monster]].}}

** [[Half Life|Black Mesa]] aren't exactly that different either. Pretty much everything that goes on there isn't so much for the benefit of mankind as a whole but for the sole purpose of tearing physics a new one. Give me one good reason why they gave their theoretical physicists fairly comprehensive firearms training if the result of their insane meddling was going to be naught but sunshine, puppies, and candy.

** This goes even further than that with Cave Johnson's tests, related through pre-recorded audio. Blue paint instead of repulsion gel, mantis men, and replacing human blood with gasoline to name a few.

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** The proclaimed motive of Lieblich Pharmeceuticals in ''[[Ever 17]]''. Except it's really just For Money! and For {{spoiler|Immortality}}!

** Again in ''[[Remember 11]]'', where Lieblich is swapping people's minds For Science! {{spoiler|and so that they can contact a being that exists beyond the concept of time}}

* Change the word science to magic and you have the motives of essentially every (non main character) magus in the [[Nasuverse]]. It's rather telling that the policy of the [[Fate Stay Night|Magic Association]] isn't 'Don't kill masses of people [[For Science]]!' but 'Don't get ''caught'' killing masses of people [[For Science]]!'

* Change the word science to magic and you have the motives of essentially every (non main character) magus in the [[Nasuverse]]. It's rather telling that the policy of the [[Fate Stay Night|Magic Association]] isn't 'Don't kill masses of people [[For Science!]]!' but 'Don't get ''caught'' killing masses of people [[For Science!]]!'

* Like Caulder above, this is the only excuse Izuka (from ''[[Fire Emblem]]: Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn'') has for [[Moral Event Horizon|brainwashing countless Laguz into a blood-thirsty rage and trapping them in their Beast forms]]. This is also why he {{spoiler|[[Complete Monster|performs the same experiment on Duke Renning, Elincia's uncle, creating the psychotic Bertram in the process.]]}}

* The game ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'' is still in development, and is already incredibly complex, with all its ins and outs being far from fully documented. Because of this, members of the online fan community regularly share their discoveries of new idiosyncrasies and/or awesome things you can do in-game. For example, there is an ongoing effort to find a way to sink a capsule full of dwarves to the bottom of an ocean without crushing or drowning them; no success yet. Anytime a person posts on the forums asking if something is possible, and that thing has not been tried yet, the poster is implored to try the thing out "for [[Incendiary Exponent|!!]]SCIENCE[[Incendiary Exponent|!!]]" and report the results.

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** The process of crafting a hat is known as "SCIENCE" on [[Image Board|/v/]].

* In ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'', this is pretty much Xehanort's justification for all the crap he did.

* An interesting example comes from ''[[Super Robot Wars Original Generation|Super Robot Wars Original Generation 2]],'' in which doing something [[For Science]] actually leads to a morally right decision, at least within the context of the game. When Lemon {{spoiler|Browning}}'s [[Ridiculously Human Robot]] W-17 AKA {{spoiler|Lamia Loveless}} develops her own free will and decides to pull a [[Heel Face Turn]], Lemon, instead of wiping W-17's memories and restoring her original programming, decides to help her android escape, desiring to see how far her creation's free will will take itself.

* An interesting example comes from ''[[Super Robot Wars Original Generation|Super Robot Wars Original Generation 2]],'' in which doing something [[For Science!]] actually leads to a morally right decision, at least within the context of the game. When Lemon {{spoiler|Browning}}'s [[Ridiculously Human Robot]] W-17 AKA {{spoiler|Lamia Loveless}} develops her own free will and decides to pull a [[Heel Face Turn]], Lemon, instead of wiping W-17's memories and restoring her original programming, decides to help her android escape, desiring to see how far her creation's free will will take itself.

* The free MMO [[Dragon Nest]] offers an early quest with a blacksmith who wants you to gather some harpy feathers so he can design some new (flexible) armor. Upon returning the item to him, he will quickly fashion it into a vest, tackle you to the ground to force it onto you, and then shout "For SCIENCE!!" before stabbing you with a spear.

* In the various "[[My Sims]]" games, Dr. F personifies this trope. When he's not telling you that "the F stands for robots," he's performing dangerous, painful, and pointless experiments on a robot named [[Meaningful Name|Tobor]] that he purposely designed to be intelligent enough to fear for its continued existence. When Tobor left his employment to [[It Makes Sense in Context|open a 50s nostalgia diner,]] Dr. F decided to explode the janitor into space instead.

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== [[Web Comics]] ==

* Any and every spark in ''[[Girl Genius]]'' will have at least ''some'' amount of [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20050527 "For Science!"] in their nature. While their morality will vary all over the spectrum, this is a unifying characteristic; it even helped [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20050318 hook up] one of the Heterodyne boys with the [[Mad ~~Scientists~~ Beautiful Daughter|Mad Scientist's Beautiful Mad Scientist Daughter]].

* Any and every spark in ''[[Girl Genius]]'' will have at least ''some'' amount of [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20050527 "For Science!"] in their nature. While their morality will vary all over the spectrum, this is a unifying characteristic; it even helped [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20050318 hook up] one of the Heterodyne boys with the [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter|Mad Scientist's Beautiful Mad Scientist Daughter]].

{{quote| "Don't tell me ''you'' fear the experiment?"

"I fear the result - but the experiment, why, that is Science!"

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* ''[[El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)|El Goonish Shive]]'' [[Fourth Wall Mail Slot|Q&A]] has a team of [[Mad Scientist|mad scientists]] led by [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-12-31 Dr.Germahn]. The last addition is Chika, who always remembers to "[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-07-25 approach everything scientifically]", according to herself. This just [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-02-09 happens] to [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-02-16 deflect] Liza's mischief [[Hoist By His Own Petard|back on herself]] by pure coincidence.

* ''[[Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]]'' helpfully points out the versatility of the phrase in [http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1202 this comic].

* ''[[The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage]]'': Isambard Kingdom Brunel at one point convinces Lovelace to return to Babbage and the Difference Engine because without it science would be dull and time-consuming and totally without flying ironclads or [[Buffy Speak|whatever it is Michael Faraday does]]. She immediately returns with a cry of "FOR SCIENCE!!"

* ''[[The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage]]'': Isambard Kingdom Brunel at one point convinces Lovelace to return to Babbage and the Difference Engine because without it science would be dull and time-consuming and totally without flying ironclads or [[Buffy-Speak|whatever it is Michael Faraday does]]. She immediately returns with a cry of "FOR SCIENCE!!"

* In ''[[Full Frontal Nerdity]]'', Frank [http://ffn.malletspace.net/?p=165 invokes this] as the rationale for pitching a "truly awful" comic book crossover done by a favorite artist.

== Web Original ==

* [[The Spoony Experiment (Web Video)|Dr. Insano]] uses "With SCIENCE, of course!" as his [[Catch Phrase]], and tends to lean towards the destructive side of scientific research if his orbital death ray and his taking control of Neutro are any indication. Some of his inventions, however, such as the [[Unobtanium|raritanium-powered]] anti-magic field generator, or [[Take That|getting an Atari Jaguar CD to run]], might have peaceful applications. Not that he acknowledges this, as he's [[Card Carrying Villain|quite open]] about wishing to use them for death, destruction and [[Take Over the World|world conquest]]. This inevitably carries over into all other series that Dr. Insano makes cameos in, such as [[Kickassia]].

* [[The Spoony Experiment (Web Video)|Dr. Insano]] uses "With SCIENCE, of course!" as his [[Catch Phrase]], and tends to lean towards the destructive side of scientific research if his orbital death ray and his taking control of Neutro are any indication. Some of his inventions, however, such as the [[Unobtanium|raritanium-powered]] anti-magic field generator, or [[Take That|getting an Atari Jaguar CD to run]], might have peaceful applications. Not that he acknowledges this, as he's [[Card-Carrying Villain|quite open]] about wishing to use them for death, destruction and [[Take Over the World|world conquest]]. This inevitably carries over into all other series that Dr. Insano makes cameos in, such as [[Kickassia]].

{{quote| '''Dr. Insano''': Ha! Your super-conductor electromagnetism is no match for SCIENCE!

'''Nostalgia Critic''': But, it is science!

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* On ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'', Professor Richard Impossible conducted an experiment that blew up in his face. It granted him incredible stretching powers, but left his family with painful and hideous mutations. Not only is he completely unsympathetic to their plight, but he treats them like prisoners most of the time. Impossible is a thinly-veiled parody of ''The [[Fantastic Four]]'''s Reed Richards, who has slipped into this trope from [[Reed Richards Is Useless]] more than once (most recently during ''[[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]]''). Impossible's crowning moment of [[For Science]] was when confronted by his wife that their son was missing, he ignores her and handwaves it:

* On ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'', Professor Richard Impossible conducted an experiment that blew up in his face. It granted him incredible stretching powers, but left his family with painful and hideous mutations. Not only is he completely unsympathetic to their plight, but he treats them like prisoners most of the time. Impossible is a thinly-veiled parody of ''The [[Fantastic Four]]'''s Reed Richards, who has slipped into this trope from [[Reed Richards Is Useless]] more than once (most recently during ''[[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]]''). Impossible's crowning moment of [[For Science!]] was when confronted by his wife that their son was missing, he ignores her and handwaves it:

{{quote| "What could possibly be more important than your own son?"

"... sssssssssssscience?" }}

** Doctor Venture himself does highly unethical science either [[Money Dear Boy|for profit]], or just because he ''can''. One season two episode shows his [[Oh Wait This Is My Grocery List|to do list]] includes such things as "Spit in God's face". The page pic on [[Just Think of the Potential]] is from the pilot episode, where he believes the "Ooh-Ray" has nothing but peaceful applications, much like Tesla's "Peace Ray" (you should he keep in mind his character was different in the pilot).

** Doctor Venture himself does highly unethical science either [[Money, Dear Boy|for profit]], or just because he ''can''. One season two episode shows his [[Oh Wait, This Is My Grocery List|to do list]] includes such things as "Spit in God's face". The page pic on [[Just Think of the Potential]] is from the pilot episode, where he believes the "Ooh-Ray" has nothing but peaceful applications, much like Tesla's "Peace Ray" (you should he keep in mind his character was different in the pilot).

** Still, Rusty merely views science as a way of profit (even if his few non-derivative inventions tend to be [[Moral Event Horizon|Moral Event Horizons]]), while Dr. Impossible falls directly in this trope.

* [[Lampshaded]] in an episode of ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', when Danny asked his dad how much he would get paid for helping out in the lab. "I pay you to mow the lawn. ''This'' you'll do for the love of ''science''!"

* Self-proclaimed [[Evil Genius]] Jumba Jookiba from ''[[Lilo and Stitch]]'' seems to have created his genetic experiments just for the heck of it. Although he delights in describing the evil applications of his creations, he seems to have no grand plans for them. In the original movie, he notes that he never gave Experiment 626 (Stitch) a higher purpose.

** That's right-[[For Science]] has actually managed to create good.

** That's right-[[For Science!]] has actually managed to create good.

* In Disney's ''[[Gargoyles]]'', there may have been commercial applications for the Gargoyle genome, the procedure to create Mutates, or cloning, but Dr. Anton Sevarius only seemed interested in research and experimentation for its own sake. From the Bad Guys comic:

{{quote| '''Sevarius:''' For science, which, as my associate Fang indicated, must ever move forward. Plus, there's the money. And I do so love... THE DRAMA!"}}

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{{quote| "Now, beat him with the metal rod...'''FOR SCIENCE!'''"}}

** Steve also invoked this phrase, asking if that was Dr. Weird's reason for making love to a lawnmower.

* Similar to ''The Venture Bros.'', an "[[Morally Ambiguous Doctorate|altered]]" Reed Richards also occurred in the "Heroes" episode of ''[[Batman Beyond]]''. It's his resemblance to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius J.R. "Bob" Dobbs.]

* Similar to ''The Venture Bros.'', an "[[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate|altered]]" Reed Richards also occurred in the "Heroes" episode of ''[[Batman Beyond]]''. It's his resemblance to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius J.R. "Bob" Dobbs.]

* Professor Membrane from ''[[Invader Zim]]''. Everything he does is either For Science or for destroying Santa Claus.

{{quote| '''Membrane:''' (to his daughter) Sorry about imprisoning you and turning you into a media freak, honey. It was in the name of SCIENCE!}}

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** Feynman and other rockstars were known to work on questions solely for their own amusement and never bother to publish. When others came to them to ask for help with a difficult question, the answer would be "I think that's right." followed by riffling through some papers, confirming that it had already been solved and saying "Yes, that's right." On one occasion a grad student was struggling with a limited case, and was devastated when Feynman rattled off a quick solution to the more general case then demonstrated that it simplified down to the limited case.

** Feynman was known to do this for a purpose - that purpose being the destruction of his grad students. He would look up the topic of a grad student's thesis and solve it himself, before putting it away for the eventuality that the student came to him for help. If they did...well, suffice to say, the idea that the basis of your thesis is so totally trivial that others can solve it and don't even bother to publish it can be extremely damaging to a human being.

** [[Sir Isaac Newton]] was particularly bad about this. He deliberately made his [[Principia Mathematica]] as obscure as possible so most people couldn't read it, and very nearly didn't publish the crucial third volume out of pique. He started the Principia because people were trying to work out the mathematics of gravitation and had to be convinced to publish it. Then he decided to invent and describe calculus instead. Also, his personal belongings contained vast reams of unpublished work (though a lot of it was For Alchemy rather than [[For Science]]).

** [[Sir Isaac Newton]] was particularly bad about this. He deliberately made his [[Principia Mathematica]] as obscure as possible so most people couldn't read it, and very nearly didn't publish the crucial third volume out of pique. He started the Principia because people were trying to work out the mathematics of gravitation and had to be convinced to publish it. Then he decided to invent and describe calculus instead. Also, his personal belongings contained vast reams of unpublished work (though a lot of it was For Alchemy rather than [[For Science!]]).

** Newton was also quite happy to play [[Professor Guinea Pig]], for it is alleged that he once [[Eye Scream|inserted a leather needle between his eyeball and the side of his eye-socket]] just to see what would happen. No permanent damage, apparently. Between having an [[Ambiguous Disorder]] and the amount of time he spent inhaling mercury vapours, quite possibly also just to see what would happen, this was a man who really put the "mad" in [[Mad Scientist]].

** Similarly, Lord Henry Cavendish was a brilliant recluse, painfully shy, who published none of his work. Pretty much none of his discoveries are credited to him because other people discovered them and did publish.

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{{quote| "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."}}

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun Wernher von Braun], the scientist who worked on JFK's Apollo project had in the past made the V2 missile for the Nazis. Why? For Rocketry!

{{quote| "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?/ [[Somebody ~~Elses~~ Problem|That's not my department]]." says [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro Wernher von Braun.]

{{quote| "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?/ [[Somebody Else's Problem|That's not my department]]." says [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro Wernher von Braun.]

"Wernherr von Braun: The man who aimed for the stars and hit London instead." }}

** In his own words (on the subject of [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|the V-2]]):

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That is, on reflection, not a happy sentence. }}

** LA-602 [http://www.sciencemadness.org/lanl1_a/lib-www/la-pubs/00329010.pdf Ignition of the atmosphere with nuclear bombs]. They did the math.

** Not to mention that one scientist at the Trinity test site bet a large sum of money that it would blow up the entire state of New Mexico. [[For Science]] indeed.

** Not to mention that one scientist at the Trinity test site bet a large sum of money that it would blow up the entire state of New Mexico. [[For Science!]] indeed.

* One of the pioneers of head transplants, Robert J. White, appears to have fit this mold perfectly. Even a completely successful transplant would leave someone as a head grotesquely stitched onto someone else's shoulder, with no motor control, severely limiting its practical use.

** Certainly the case when it was pioneered - but nerve grafts are starting to take place with people recovering at least partial motor control of reattached and transplanted limbs.

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* Parodied in this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ7J7UjsRqg&feature=channel Onion News clip.]

* Lasers. Between the laying of the theoretical groundwork after [[World War One]] and the first practical uses in the mid to late sixties, lasers were described as "a brilliant solution awaiting a problem". Everyone agreed that stimulated emission of coherent light was fascinating and clever, but no-one had much of an idea of what to do with it in practical terms.

** [[Frickin Laser Beams|Weapons, of course]]!

** [[Frickin' Laser Beams|Weapons, of course]]!

* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole Kola Superdeep Borehole], northern Russia. The Soviet government wanted to know what was beneath the surface of the Earth. So they dug a really ''big'' hole...

* Carl Sagan harshly criticized Edward Teller for his relentless push to develop the hydrogen bomb. While nuclear fission bombs, such as the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are certainly nothing to be taken lightly, the whole "destroy all life on Earth N times over" model of the modern nuclear arsenal would not have been possible without the hydrogen bomb.

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** And the US [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis_experiments_in_Guatemala repeated the whole thing] with Guatemalans in 1946-48.

** See also Dr Lee Stanley of San Quentin Prison, who did wacky things like implanting animal testicles into human inmates, or taking testicles from corpses and trying to implant them in living humans, or just regular forced castrations..what a guy.

** See the [[Other Wiki]]'s article on US ethical violations [[For Science]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis_experiments_in_Guatemala LINK].

** See the [[Other Wiki]]'s article on US ethical violations [[For Science!]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis_experiments_in_Guatemala LINK].

** The US also did it to black service men.

* Osakan researchers genetically engineered [[Super Mario Brothers|Mario]] from glowing bacteria. [http://kotaku.com/5429450/mario-recreated-in-petri-dish FOR SCIENCE!]

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[[Category:For Science]]

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