Scale of Scientific Sins: Difference between revisions

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[[And Man Grew Proud|Proud]] scientists will actively try to check off as many of these sins as they can as a proof of their scientific genius.

 

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===

** Ever since building a machine with artificial intelligence is outlawed. This is gotten around with servitors: vat grown or mind wiped humans with cybernetic implants.

 

 

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===

 

=== Videogames ===

=== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ===

* In ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'', the creation of [[Super Soldier|Artificial Mages]] is explicitly banned. This is one of the reasons why [[Big Bad|Jail Scaglietti]], a [[Mad Scientist]] with a passion for [[Evilutionary Biologist|biological manipulation]], is considered an interdimensional criminal.

*** Although, given the many, many flaws, ethical problems, and the fairly stinking big, obvious [[Turned Against Their Masters|logical problem]] inherent in the [[Super Soldier]] trope, it's not particularly shocking that the TSAB is [[Genre Savvy]] enough to want to prevent this kind of thing going on.

* This is ultimately the goal of the Human Instrumentality Project in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'', and it is most certainly portrayed in a fairly negative light. [[Science Fantasy|Of course, the scientificity of this sin is somewhat questionable.]]

* Aside from the ghouls, ''[[Hellsing]]'' has {{spoiler|The Major's Body. Schrödinger (Schroedinger) may and/or may not count}}

* This trope is extensively played with in ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' - the impact of extensive technical progress in the area of AI and cybernetics on society forms the premise of the series.

 

=== [[Literature]] ===

* Sergej Luk'yanenko's ''Линия Грёз'' and ''Императоры Иллюзий'', set in the ''[[Master of Orion]]'' universe, feature cybernetics as the defining trait of the Meklon race. Humans who follow the Meklons, cyborgs (yet partially human) and the Mechanist Sect (striving to become fully cybernetic lifeforms) are depicted with different degrees of sanity. The protagonist notes that {{spoiler|the [[Deus Ex Machina]] immortality humanity has obtained is yet better than advancing mechanisation.}}

 

* On ''[[Star Trek]]'', human genetic engineering is banned, and most of the products of it are dangerously deranged.

** This is a major point about the origins of [[Memetic Mutation|KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!]]

** The Dominion, Federation's [[Evil Counterpart]], is basically a huge genetic engineering society. Jem'Hadar were created from nothing, Vorta bred from some other form; and it's stated that {{spoiler|The Founders were once humanoids but genetically engineered themselves into shape shifters. It is even supposed that their close-mindedness is the price they payed for their new body abilities.}}

** The flaws are explicitly due to flaws in their black-market augmentations. It isn't a reason for the ban (which is explicitly just Khan), but a result of it.

* Kit Pedler, a writer/scientific advisor for ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in 1966, sincerely believed that [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]], and was worried that nobody would listen to his warnings. So he invented the Cybermen, as a chilling tale of things to come. When Earth's twin planet Mondas drifts away from the Sun, the people turn to cyber-augmentation as a desperation move, he only way to save their race. But it doesn't matter why they did it; a sin against the natural order can only have one result. So they inevitably became soulless, emotionless automatons. Of course this didn't come across in most stories; they were just scary, hard-to-kill bad guys who came up with insanely complicated and devious plots to convert everyone else into more Cybermen.

 

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===

** There's a trend here, isn't there?

** The whole point of the Chaos.

 

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===

 

=== [[Video Games]] ===

 

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===

 

=== Videogames ===

* [[Omniscient Council of Vagueness|SEELE]] has a big problem with [[Manipulative Bastard|Gendou Ikari]]'s apparent attempts at this in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. Cause they wanted to do it. As with the previous sin. SEELE and Gendo tie with Doc from [[Hellsing]] for general Scientific Evilness, matching him sin for sin.

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]''. Human transmutation has aspects of this (see #6 above) and {{spoiler|Truth was not amused by Father's plan}}.

* ''[[Bleach]]'': [[Big Bad|Aizen]] has been using [[Applied Phlebotinum|shinigami science]] to attempt this. He's even been willing to steal the scientific achievements of others (especially Urahara's) in his pursuit of this.

 

 

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===

** Although to be fair to the old boy, he essentially made it extremely clear that he was just a (hyperpowered and nigh on invulnerable) man, not a god. You can thank the lackeys after his death who set him up as a new deity.

** But those very same lackeys may have actually turned him into a deity, through the power of belief and due to how the Immaterium works.

 

=== [[Video Games]] ===

* Fontaine in ''[[BioShock (series)]]'' becomes a horrendously powerful [[Psycho Serum|Adam overdosed]] [[Sculpted Physique|human statue]].

* The General in ''[[Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy|Psi Ops the Mindgate Conspiracy]]'' used an alien psi device to gain massive psychic powers, in the process he killed dozens, lobotomized hundreds, and betrayed every one of his allies. His comeuppance was getting beat by the protagonist.

* The ultimate goal of Bob Page from [[Deus Ex]], complete with theological rhetoric and quoting Aquinas.

** Also {{spoiler|J.C. Denton}} in "Helios ending" closed by Voltaire's aphorism "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him".

 

* [[Genius: The Transgression]] incorporates almost the entire list into the [[Karma Meter]]. In order of severity Transgressions include: automation, minor transhumanism, making zombies, dangerous experimentation on humans, creating intelligence, deadly experimentation on humans, moderate transhumanism, very deadly experimentation, major transhumanism, raising the dead, genocide.

* ''[[Eclipse Phase]]'' has checked off each of them, although number 7 was carried out by superintelligent AI's, the TITANs, who proceeded to forcibly upload many humans, reduce Earth to a blasted hellscape, and vanish through hyper-advanced wormhole gates. Most of them are considered routine everywhere except the Jovian Junta, although attempting to create another TITAN-style "seed AI" with unlimited potential is so illegal that if you attempt it you will be killed and of your backups will be wiped, and if your habitat doesn't take you down, Firewall will.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Make My Index Live]]

[[Category:Tropes On Science and Unscience]]

[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]]