The Rejection of Truth as Innately Good
Vonnegut often juxtaposes science and religion in Cat's Cradle. He characterizes science as a form of discovering truth, while he characterizes religion as a form of creating lies. Despite this negative depiction of religion, Vonnegut's most severe criticisms are reserved for science and its goal of seeking and discovering truth. Vonnegut attacks the idea that truth is innately desirable and good, seeing it as a pervasive belief in our culture. He describes a realistic world in which truth is used for material and personal gain without concern for the lasting effects those truths will have on humanity.
Felix Hoenikker's invention, ice-nine, was created to address the military's need for a way to get through mud quickly while traveling in the field. Ice-nine, which effectively freezes any liquid with which it comes in contact, could be heralded as a great success for science and a considerable asset to the U.S. military. But Hoenikker also realized the extremely destructive nature of his invention, which could be used as a biological weapon to permanently destroy a nation's water supply and ensure its eventual demise. Thus, the truth that he created through science was at once a danger to humanity.
Felix and Frank Hoenikker's experiences as scientists seem to reveal that scientific knowledge does not provide sufficient answers to human problems, although many people think that it can. Science is frequently exploited to create human