Abby Hildebrand & Bradley Tobias

AMST 198
March 30, 2010
“Objective” Science ad Capitalism in Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park takes a stand against science and technology as an ambivalent
and objective force of good and begs the question, “To what extent can humans really manipulate
genetic information for the purpose of objective and rational scientific examination?” Through the
events in the film, as well as through specific characters, we see again and again that science and
technology cannot match the power of Mother Nature. In her essay, “Race to the Finish: Identity and
Governance in an Age of Genomics,” Jenny Reardon offers her theory of co-production which
prescribe that emergent science and technology can be portrayed as both an objective, ideal polity and a
tool for “reinscribing hegemonic and oppressive political orders.”1 Despite John Hammond’s
seemingly innocent educational and entertaining purposes for creating Jurassic Park, it actually
reinscribes the goals of capital in political and social systems of 1990s America.
From the introduction of Hammond to Dr. Sadler and Dr. Grant, science and technology in the
name of objective advancement is undermined for the purposes of capital and monetary gain.
Hammond’s helicopter lands in the Badlands where Sadler and Grant are engaged in an archaeological
dig. The helicopter, a sign of corporate wealth and capital, disrupts the digging and causes potentially
irreversible harm to the excavation site. Dr. Grant, who had previously stated, “I hate computers,” is
confronted by technology in its grandest, most destructive form in the helicopter. When Dr. Grant and
Dr. Sadler enter the trailer into which Hammond has already forcefully entered, they find him
prematurely popping champagne. Hammond, who acts under the guise of a friendly old man with a
Scottish accent, is clearly corrupted by the temptation of economic and social capital. Hammond never
actually describes Jurassic Park in his introduction to Dr. Grant and Dr. Sadler, however he does
mention that he hates lawyers. The lawyers to whom Hammond refers are representative of political
and social power, a force that ultimately places a check on science as an ideal polity. In the end of the
scene, before Hammond whisks Dr. Grant and Dr. Sadler off to Jurassic Park in his helicopter, he woos
them with offering to fund their dig.
While at Jurassic Park, Hammond takes his guests through a video, which explains the science
behind creating the dinosaurs in the park. An animated strand of DNA tells audience members that
extinct animals like dinosaurs leave their DNA behind, and that humans “just had to know where to
look!”2 This naïve view is clearly meant for children to understand but it also speaks to the seemingly
innocent motives that Hammond has for using this powerful science. This video makes the assumption
that nature exists in order for humans to exploit it. While marketed as fun and entertainment, the
exploitation of the natural world by Hammond really serves to place capitalist motives ahead of the
objective or “good” science. It also speaks to the line that Hammond repeats multiple times in the film,
that he’s “spared no expense.”3 This phrase tells the audience that money is just as important a
consideration as science. In Hammond’s mind, science and money are linked because without his funds,
this park would not have been built, nor would he have two scientists there to evaluate the park’s worth.
John Hammond’s Jurassic Park wields the power of genetics—the most awesome scientific tool
man has ever known—while clearly under the influence of the interest of political and social capital.
While the film is obvious in portraying Mother Nature as an unstoppable force, it takes a more delicate
approach in emphasizing the inextricable connection between non-biased science and capitalist
interests.

1
Jenny Reardon, Race to the Finish: Identity and Governance in an Age of Genomics. pg. 6. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2005.
2
Jurassic Park. Dir. Stephen Spielberg. Perf. Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum. Universal Studios, 1993.

3
Ibid.
Presentation
Setup Reardon (Brad)
Scene Setup (Abby)

Scene Notes: Hammond/Malcolm exchange

-Brad: Science, until this point, is assumed “good” in the eyes of the film. Talk about the scene
earlier with Dr. Grant and Dr. Sadler’s dig.
-Malcolm questions the motives of these “objective” scientists at Jurassic Park that have gone
unchecked for so long
--the assumption that dinosaur DNA was there for us to find
--assumption that progress/advancement is inherently good and should continue instead
of being questioned
- The commodification of science: You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish
something as fast as you could, and before you knew what you had, you patented it, packages it,
slapped in on a plastic lunch box, and now you want to sell it.
-Spared No Expense said throughout film in a boastful way, as if to say that the more money
you’re spending, the better your science is, regardless of objectivity; which goes back to the idea
that scientists rely on capital to advance their research and in turn, their motives align with those
of capitalism, even though they make claims to objectivity

Questions
Other examples of this in the film (or X-Men?)?