I haven’t read as much Vonnegut as I’d like to, but I read that theme of Cat’s Cradle as being closer to the disconnect “normal” people feel from scientists who are seen as not just inscrutable creators of technology but also moral authorities (reflected in characters like the secretary and general IIRC).
Mainly though, it’s less science-destroys-wonder and more directionless-science-destroys-everything, which no one will prevent if they don’t know they should. (I just read Three Worlds Collide today and the plot point introduced near the end about what happened with the mathematical constant is a more optimistic version of events for a similar discovery.) From what I have read of Vonnegut, the non-resentful characters are still non-resentful in order to convey part of the message, even if they are common.
I haven’t read as much Vonnegut as I’d like to, but I read that theme of Cat’s Cradle as being closer to the disconnect “normal” people feel from scientists who are seen as not just inscrutable creators of technology but also moral authorities (reflected in characters like the secretary and general IIRC).
Mainly though, it’s less science-destroys-wonder and more directionless-science-destroys-everything, which no one will prevent if they don’t know they should. (I just read Three Worlds Collide today and the plot point introduced near the end about what happened with the mathematical constant is a more optimistic version of events for a similar discovery.) From what I have read of Vonnegut, the non-resentful characters are still non-resentful in order to convey part of the message, even if they are common.