Analysis of "What is Science?"
...ience is international’, but in practice the scientific workers of all countries line up behind their own governments with fewer scruples than are felt by the writers and artists.” (p. 175). This basic claim prepares the rest of the essay for support. In order to support this claim, Orwell gives examples from recent history. Describing the situation in World War II, Orwell states, The German scientific community, as a whole, made no resistance to Hitler. Hitler may have ruined the long-term prospects of German science, but there were still plenty of gifted men to do the necessary research on such things as synthetic oil, jet planes, rocket projectiles and the atomic bomb. Without them the German war machine could never have been built up. On the other hand, what happened to German literature when the Nazis came to power? I believe no exhaustive lists have been published, but I imagine that the number of German scientists – Jews apart – who voluntarily exiled themselves or were persecuted by the regime was much smaller than the number of writers and journalists. (p. 175) These examples in history give sound support to the author’s initial claim and give the reader no cause for doubt. Despite this strong support, several elements need to be accepted. When reading an argumentative essay, it is typically imperative that the author be a credible source. Though in this essay, Orwell never directly states any experience, because of his fame, it is assumed that anything he publishes is credible...