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Between Research and Responsibility: The Invention of Dynamite

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  • Jonah Sachs
Jonah Sachs
Washington University in St Louis; St Louis, MO, US
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-2536

Published 2024-05-29

Keywords

  • History/Philosophy,
  • Chemical History,
  • Misconceptions,
  • Ethics,
  • Undergraduate Research

How to Cite

Sachs, J. (2024). Between Research and Responsibility: The Invention of Dynamite. Substantia. https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-2536

Copyright (c) 2024 Jonah Sachs

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

The myth surrounding the creation of The Nobel Prize and an incorrectly published newspaper article has long dominated the conversation about the famed inventor Alfred Nobel. In actuality, this myth appears to have been fabricated by biographers. Nobel had a complicated relationship with views on scientific progress; he long contemplated the role of researchers and morality in the face of scientific advancement. He was not the sole contributor to his discoveries; many researchers played a role in the inevitable discovery of the explosive material dynamite. Their stories, combined with the musings of Nobel discussing his explosives empire, provide an interesting insight into the ethics surrounding inventions of destructive materials. Many scientists have claimed their discovery will be the one to end all wars. Can we justify destruction in the name of deterrence?

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