1 Whatever happened to the ‘mad, bad’ scientist?: Overturning the stereotype Roslynn D Haynes 1 Abstract In Western cultures the cluster of myths relating to the pursuit of knowledge has perpetuated the archetype of the alchemist/scientist as sinister, dangerous, possibly mad, and threatening to society's values. Shelley's Frankenstein provided imagery and a vocabulary universally-invoked in relation to scientific discoveries and technological innovation. The reasons for the longevity of this seemingly antiquated, semiotic imagery are discussed. In the twenty-first century this stereotype has been radically revised, even overturned. Scientists are now rarely objects of fear or mockery. Mathematicians, both real-life and fictional, are discussed here as being representative of scientists now depicted empathically. This paper examines possible sociological reasons for this reversal; what the revisionist image suggests about society's changed attitudes to science; and what might be the substitute fears and sources of horror. Keywords Myth, alchemist, semiotic characters, Frankenstein, ‘mad’, evil scientists, mathematicians in fiction, environment, communication Introduction Myths are the signature of cultures. They express in enduring form the hopes, fears, values, transgressions and punishments that underpin the social fabric. In Western cultures the cluster of myths relating to the pursuit of knowledge has perpetuated the archetype of the alchemist, and his descendant the scientist, as sinister, dangerous, possibly mad, and threatening to society's values, even to human survival. The pursuit of forbidden knowledge and consequent punishment have been deeply embedded in the human psyche since ancient times, as expressed in the mythological narratives of Eden, Prometheus, Daedalus and Icarus and Pandora’s box. All represent an hubristic desire for power of knowledge in some form and a challenge to authority, followed by retribution that may affect not only the protagonist but, as in the Genesis story and Pandora’s box, humanity in general. Like these archetypal myths, narratives depicting scientists as obsessive seekers after knowledge have emphasized the reversal of expectation and the disaster of success due to the scientist’s failure to foresee the consequences attendant on achieving his goal. The alluring promises conceal vast destruction, sometimes because they are not achieved and a life is wasted in the quest, as in Balzac’s La Recherche de l’Absolu (1834), but more often when the search is successful. The tragedy of Frankenstein begins at the exact moment of his experimental success, when the Creature comes to life. 1 Roslynn D Haynes (School of Humanities,) University of New South Wales, Australia; (School of Humanities,) University of Tasmania, Australia