THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCIENTIST AGAINST THE SOCIETY IN HEINAR KIPPHARDT’S “IN THE MATTER OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER”

This work named “In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer” is a drama written in 1964. The work takes place in an electronically isolated room in American Atomic Energy Commission. The documents related to the interrogation of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer by American Atomic Energy Commission in 1954 constitute the basis of the events told in the work. In our study, after investigating the life and works of the writer, the type and the structure of this work, we have tried to study on the scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s responsibility against the society. Finally, we have seen that J. Robert Oppenheimer played an important role in the development of the atomic bomb; however after seeing the results of this, he showed that he bore the sense of responsibility against the whole humanity by refusing taking part in the researches carried out to invent Hydrogen Bomb. It is likely that the responsibility of the scientist ends with the invention but the abuse of this invention causes the qualms of conscience.