Quote 1
But
what can you do when you have to deal with people?
This question is uttered on many occasions
by Dr. Stadler, first in Part One, Chapter VII. The question demonstrates
his and the looters’ belief that people are generally irrational
and must be dealt with in a manipulative or repressive manner. Stadler
believes most people are incapable of rational thought and must
be told what is best for them. He believes they will support pure
thought only if it is government-sanctioned, and this is why he
has supported the creation of the State Science Institute. As the
story progresses, this view of people becomes a justification for
the increasing power of the government and its adoption of brute
force. The question is also stated by Dr. Floyd Ferris
at the unveiling of Project X. While coercing Stadler to deliver
his speech praising the monstrous machine, Ferris reminds him that
at a time of hysteria, riots, and mass violence, the people must
be kept in line by any means necessary. He underscores his message
by quoting the question Stadler himself is known for asking.
