Mad Scientist: Difference between revisions
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An [[Science-Related Memetic Disorder|increasingly common take]] on this trope is that Mad Science is a ''[[Chronic Villainy|disease]]'', either hereditary in which case the afflicted may come from a [[In the Blood|long line]] of mad scientists, or transmissible through [[Memetic Mutation|contagious ideas]] or [[Go Mad From the Revelation|revelations]]. Since [[Insane Equals Violent]], the transformation associated with contracting Mad Science can often be a dangerous one, involving the sudden invention of a [[Killer Robot]], [[Death Ray]] or other instances of implausibly fast engineering.
When there are more than one or two '''Mad Scientist''' in a work, they will often specialize, becoming an [[Evilutionary Biologist]] or perhaps a mad computer scientist. Of course, specializing in some mad -ology usually involves disagreeing with the current standard explanations in the field, or at least believing that there are some important experiments everyone is ignoring (probably because they are unethical). See also [[TV Genius]], [[Evil Genius]], [[Science-Related Memetic Disorder]], and, inevitably, [[Scale of Scientific Sins]] Compare [[Absent-Minded Professor]].
-- Note that in Real Life, a scientist performs experiments and an ''engineer'' makes things. The only reason we have "mad scientists" (insane data collection...?) and not "mad engineers" (crazy gadgets) is that most adults don't know the difference, and perpetuate that misunderstanding. Also, "scientist" sounds significantly more arcane and exotic than "engineer" for some reason.
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