Nicola Tesla. Stifled Hero.

Originally posted by Rikku

I guess Hitler would also qualify then.

youve brought up Hitler again for no apparent reason.
when eugenics is mentioned you immedialtly say nazi.

tesla wasnt a nazi.
the nazi's were interested in lots of things.doesn't mean all those things are bad.

Don't need to read the thread to say this: It does not matter what they were interested in for good or bad.....their methods overshadow any possible good.

The world has hardly become better since the end of WW2 for all of our medical and technological advancements... which came about through vast human suffering in the first place. Degeneracy is rampant and more socially acceptable than ever before. Greed and usury are acceptable. People would rather gyrate and feel good instead of self betterment. I'm hardly saying folks need to be monastic, but nobody has self control anymore.

I would glady sterilize the worthless or infirm in my own family if it was for the good of the future of humanity. Why would you not? Is the life of an imbecile worth more than the life of a potential genius? Hardly. If you feel it is, you've taken an emotional "feel good" route rather than an analytical.

In closing, yes Tesla did advocate for the removal of certain elements and I feel rightly so. He was a more accomplished mind than anyone on this board will ever be. An analogy: The unibombers methods are contemptable, but they do not take away from his philosophical argument about technological slavery.

reply to post by BlesUTP


Read the whole thread now, and find we are getting sort of Off topic here, but have to reply to you, sir, as much as I find your intellect enthralling. You are well read, for sure, and a student of history, the history, that is, we accept today as "true." That's another thread, though.

Would I sterilize the worthless or the infirm in my own family if I thought it was for the good of the future of mankind? I repeat, so I am sure of what you are saying, by saying it back to you, to know your intent, for sure.

NO. For it is not my judgement to do so. And I am appalled that so many think their judgements suffice for their lack in belief in a higher power that intended something here, and our adaptation to that strife that it causes us, and what it may teach and reveal to us.

This is the crux, to me. We were never meant to be perfect. Our flaws are part and parcel of what defines us, and dealing with them. Not only that, it is how those around us we have relationships with that are affected by those flaws, which are what make us human, in the first place, deal with us, humanely, and learn from that...

For this,I believe is what we are all here for. God forbid, in my account, that we were all "perfect." In whose estimation, anyway?

To add something to the thread topic, as it is an incredible one and I feel bad that I am replying not so much on topic: What interests me about the subject is the nature of the oppostion involved. In other words, Tesla, supposedly had the knowledge and scientific ability to provide us all with "free" energy, harnessing what occurs in nature, so that no one would have to pay for it.

Has no one gotten that electricity is the prime provisional for what another comment on this thread called "coddling?" Tesla knew and demonstrated how to harness this out of the atmosphere we inhabit, for free.

reply to post by Phage


The ether exists so you cant really claim him whacky for believing in it. Also though not a great excuse, its one I personally hate, the times were different back then, slavery was still legal in the united states when Tesla was born. So these little character flaws hardly affect the overall magnificence of his brilliance. You could have made this same thread about Edison, though you would have needed a few more pages for character flaws and overall D baggery, but for some reason you picked to pick on Tesla.

It seems followers of 'mainstream' science and academia have been taught to shun and ignore Nikola Tesla, because of his eccentricities and convictions. He was not made from the same mold as most, he was not just a cog in the machine. He strove for greatness and beyond, he was a visionary and spent every day attempting to push boundaries and exceed limits. There are for to many formalities and bureaucracy and business aspects to science, that the sort of passion for truth, reality, and the potential for mankinds limitless progression must be stifled, ignored, suppressed and ridiculed.

This reminds me of that absolutely laughable thread created a few days ago where someone attacked Tesla for the comments he made about Jews. Honestly I did not expect Phage to make a thread like this... knowing Phage though this is some sort of experiment to test how people react.

I will just say what i said in that other thread:

"And some of the founding fathers owned slaves, but that doesn't take away from their great achievements."

I find the thread, among other things, to be a sort of litmus test, for what you will tolerate, in your interpretation of a hero.....

Tesla´s work on electricity IS to this day unmatched.
He WAS an effin´genius of his field.
He was also an effin´NUTJOB.
(NO, i WON`T be posting any links to back that up,
write "Tesla" on whatever search engine of your choice and READ) .

The mans work is UNPRECEDENTED.
But he was still seriously messed up.
Brilliant thinker.
(But not very SMART, considering that he allowed Edison to f**k him over.)

reply to post by BlesUTP

Some of the best minds on the planet have advocated for Eugenics or similiar practices. Should we throw away their achievements simply because of the way they felt on how to properly better humanity?

That's not the point. As has been pointed out it's not his contributions that I question. It is the hero worship so often seen. He invented some good stuff. That does not mean he was a good man.

In closing, yes Tesla did advocate for the removal of certain elements and I feel rightly so.

And you think he had the right to decide who should have children. "Criminals and insane". That's a real nice set of criteria.

Here's more of what he said:

The trend of opinion among eugenists is that we must make marriage more difficult. Certainly no one who is not a desirable parent should be permitted to produce progeny. A century from now it will no more occur to a normal person to mate with a person eugenically unfit than to marry a habitual criminal.

www.pbs.org...

"Desirable parent". "Normal person". "Eugenically unfit." The ramifications of such thinking are terrifying.

reply to post by ChaoticOrder

"And some of the founding fathers owned slaves, but that doesn't take away from their great achievements."

And nothing can take away Tesla's contributions. But his inventions do not make him a great man.

With what I've learned about Thomas Jefferson, I don't really look at him the same way I used to. He had some really good ideas but he wasn't such a great guy and he didn't exactly practice what he "preached". I'll go with his ideas but drop him.

Originally posted by Phage

Here's more of what he said:

The trend of opinion among eugenists is that we must make marriage more difficult. Certainly no one who is not a desirable parent should be permitted to produce progeny. A century from now it will no more occur to a normal person to mate with a person eugenically unfit than to marry a habitual criminal.

www.pbs.org...

"Desirable parent". "Normal person". "Eugenically unfit." The ramifications of such thinking are terrifying.

edit on 8/3/2013 by Phage because: (no reason given)

What he says is obvious and has been the basis for life and evolution since it began. Survival of the fittest, and Mates choosing the most desirable mates. I understand it seems as though he held lofty hitleresque or nietche like thoughts regarding the future of mankind. Is he really wrong? This is the nature of nature, to continually strive for greater perfection. And it seems eugenics are just beginning to get big, seeing articles on designer babies, and tampering with genes and such. Is there any doubt in your mind that this and more will occur in the nearer to near future?

reply to post by ImaFungi

What he says is obvious and has been the basis for life and evolution since it began.

Really? "Undesirable parents" were rendered incapable of reproduction by evolution? Can you provide some evidence of this? Seems that if that were the case we wouldn't be having this discussion at all. Eugenicists think evolution isn't good enough. They want to help it along, based on their criteria.

Is he really wrong?

Yes.

Is there any doubt in your mind that this and more will occur in the nearer to near future?

That is a far cry from declaring that someone, anyone, based on some vague prejudice should decide who is "fit" to have children.

Sadly for Phage this is mere opinion.

This forum ruined the music of the Moody Blues i was listening too...thanks

reply to post by LevelEleven

Sadly for Phage this is mere opinion.

Actually. It's Tesla's own words.

reply to post by Phage


I noticed your trying to re character assassinate The Great Tesla( because one time wasnt enough it seems). So your problem now is that Tesla disliked obese people, so that concludes he wasn't for all of mankind. Well i hate religious people, but in my heart im for all of mankind.

reply to post by LevelEleven

So your problem now is that Tesla disliked obese people

No. My problem is that Tesla was a eugenicist. In favor of sterilizing people he thought were not fit to be human.

( because one time wasnt enough it seems)

I don't know what you mean. This is the topic of the thread and it always has been.

Kinda a contradiction since the man wanted to help all of mankind with his free energy inventions.

No. My problem is that Tesla was a eugenicist. In favor of sterilizing people he thought were not fit to be human.

WOW did you just say that?

reply to post by Phage


I am in a bit of a hurry and did not read all the replies, But....Tesla went to work for Edison and Tesla did something that Edison had asked him to work on and if he succeeded Edison would give him a rather large bonus...Tesla succeeded Edison took the credit and refused to pay the bonus. Tesla left..bad blood between never ended....

Tesla worked on A/C power and Edison was a D/C power kinda guy.... Edison had the monopoly on the power stations/repeaters that had to be every mile or so of transmission lines to use his D/C power scheme...Edison went around and electrified stray cats and dogs to prove just how dangerous A/C power was. Some of the Pics of Tesla sitting surrounded by electrical discharges was his way of proving Edison was FOS..err full of spice....did I mention they did not like each other??

Westinghouse was Tesla's backer and as A/C power took off he called Tesla into his office and told him the contract they had signed would break the newly formed company by paying Tesla the royalties promised. Tesla took the contract and tore it up and said build it...Probably out of spite for Edison,,,

It has been over 50 years since I read a bio of his life but that seems to be what I remember. As far as Tesla going off the deep end in his later life....he was experimenting with X-Rays and enjoyed X-Ray-ing his head for the warm and fuzzy feeling he got; thought it made his thinking more clearly defined.

There have always been those who thought there were to many people and would like to do away with some nationality or race. Two people and a pie, they both get 50%.... 1000 people and they are lucky to get a whiff,,,etc etc.. eugenicist have always thought the dumb, the genetically malformed, and anyone who did not measure up to their standards were wasteful air breathers...nothing new and is discussed in the open (universities) and on line, talk shows and agenda 21 today. Sometimes subtle other times overt.

Tesla was not all bad or good and neither was Edison; both were just very smart men of their times that we owe a great deal too.

reply to post by LevelEleven

Yes I did. I know...blasphemy.
Have you read the first post in this thread?

reply to post by 727Sky

Tesla was not all bad or good and neither was Edison; both were just very smart men of their times that we owe a great deal too.

I agree.