The question of ethical responsibility in the fictional narrative "The fatal eggs" by Mikhail Bulgakov

Abstract

The question of responsibility regarding the application of scientific research findings extends not only to the scientist who makes a discovery and realizes its potential for practical application but also to those involved in implementing the discovery in practice. Bulgakov's prose "The fatal eggs" underscores these two lines of responsibility associated with ethical considerations. The researcher carefully evaluates potential risks, intends to adhere to precautionary principles, and first seeks to understand the exact mechanisms behind the remarkable results of their accidental discovery. However, the discovery is alienated from them when it falls into the hands of an implementer. This implementer, driven by haste, ideological simplicity, and impatience, fails to consider the principles of experimental work. The discovery, applied inadequately, hastily, and unprofessionally, is thus disqualified and irretrievably lost. Bulgakov's fictional narrative, with its dystopian atmosphere, serves as a poignant warning against unethical practices that can devalue a potentially significant invention, transforming it into an instrument of destruction rather than an asset.