DIE VERANTWORTUNGSPROBLEMATIK IN BERTOLT BRECHTS LEBEN DES GALILEI UND FRIEDRICH DÜRRENMATTS DIE PHYSIKER
THE RESPONSIBILITY PROBLEM IN BERTOLT BRECHT'S LIFE OF THE GALILEO AND FRIEDRICH DÜRRENMATT'S THE PHYSICS

Summary/Abstract: The main focus of the two plays is the issue of the scientist’s responsibility or lack thereof regarding the ways in which his/her theories are used. The core question of both plays is whether a scientist should only be concerned with scientific advancement or should he/she also consider the ethical consequences of the research. Two possible attitudes are distinguishable in the two plays namely to trust in humanity sanity and ethical reasoning or not to. Thus we propose two possible types: the Galileo and the Möbius. The aim of this article is to compare these typologies in order to see if we are experiencing a "Brechtian moment" or a "Dürrenmattian moment”. Does one still believe in the sanity of humanity in the context of "post-factual" reality? Another focus is to analyze how Dürrenmatt's text answers to Brecht’s. Special attention will be paid to the figures of Andrea and Möbius, addressing the question: is Möbius a continuation of Andrea? A second topic is mercantilism and its influence on the development science. Both Galilei and Möbius’ studies are limited by four factors: power, politics, ethics and money issues.

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