Predictably Unpredictable

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

~Albert Einstein

When I first started reading this play, I had my suspicions that none of the physicists were insane. I am not really sure why I thought this, but throughout the story I knew they were mentally fine. With that being said, I was very surprised by the ending. I had created my own alternate story where I thought they were all three performing a scientific experiment by killing the nurses, and I imagined them all three gathering their notes at the end, forming a hypotheses, and proving some strange theory with their actions and notes. I was very surprised when the two scientists revealed they were spies. I expected them to shoot each other or be killed while kidnapping Mobius. 

As I read about the two spies, I picked up on the metaphor of Newton representing the western world, and Einstein representing Russia. They want Mobius for different reasons, but both admit he would basically be imprisoned to study science by their respective governments. Mobius just wants to study science, and the paradox is he acts mad to protect himself from imprisonment, only to be imprisoned by what I felt like resembled Germany. Fräulein Dr. Mathilde von Zahnd reminded me of the Germans, with her armed guards in black uniform, and the searchlight she had them turn on seemed like light Germans would shine on prisoners trying to escape from a concentration camp. 

·         Human beings proceeding by plan wish to reach a specific goal. They are most severely hit by accident when through it they reach the opposite of their goal: the very thing they feared, they sought to avoid (i.e. Oedipus).

I thought it was ironic that the nurse would not let the investigator call Einstein a murderer, but Dr. Zahnd did call Mobius a murderer. I also recognized that the choices for music are important to the story, or they would not have been named, but I am afraid my ignorance of music has left me wanting for an explanation of how the musical pieces enhanced the audience’s experience. 

I know this story is based on the idea of ethics, science, and government, and the responsibility of doing what is best overall. Finding the balance in a professional career will always be challenging, but giving up on science over fear of the unknown seems mad to me.

The Physicists- A Prime Paradox

     The Physicists was paradoxical, just as the author promised it to be in his “21 Points” at the back of the book. The paradox of the whole play is the fact that the three patients are all mad, yet they are all sane. Of course I’m inclined to believe they are mostly mad, but it is unfair to not mention the few moments they are sane. The moments are when Mobius purposely acts like a lunatic to make the separation easier on his family. Another example is when Eisler and Kilton are willing to lay down their weapons and calmly discuss things.  Mad men don’t usually act like that. I think the reason they were able to have their brief moments of sanity is because their whole lives as scientists have been devoted to logic and reason. When it has been so ingrained into you, it is hard to ever be anything but logical. Which is where the quote “what was once thought can never be unthought” first comes into play. Another way this quote is at work is in the family’s perception of Mobius. Let’s be real for a moment. Even if he were to get released from the mental hospital, his family will probably still think he is mad.  Madness makes it hard to build back your reputation. We’ve all seen the movies where someone is released from a mental hospital and they seem completely fine. But then they go on a killing spree the next day. True or not, the stereotype is still present. 

Did anyone else feel this way about the ending?