Jealousy in Cantor's DilemmaThe beast lurks in the shadows. His presence is all around us; its existence denied by all. He moves stealthily from one body to another, peering with his infinite green eyes into the deepest thoughts of all, a merciless predator seeking those who least expect his attack. It strikes noiselessly, paralyzing its prey. The monster's bite causes its victims to behave recklessly. He injects a poison powerful enough to make people wary of their best friend. This leads to acting furtively and always with the worst motivations. This beast is called jealousy, and no one is safe. Even scientists, whose goal is to conquer everything in search of true truths, cannot fight this obstacle. Carl Djerassi illustrates the susceptibility of researchers to jealousy in his novel Cantor's Dilemma. He illustrates, through his fiction, several important issues that fuel jealousy, and he alludes to some of its effects. One of these effects is competition, which, combined with jealousy, forms a deadly combination. Additionally, competition in the world of scientific research can potentially slow down the scientific process. Two main factors contribute to the problem of competition in the scientific community: fame and money. In the novel, Cantor states: "A scientist's motivation, his self-esteem, is actually based on a very simple desire: recognition by his peers..." Furthermore, the cost of scientific research has increased by dramatically in recent decades. , that even if a scientist has new and brilliant ideas, he or she may not have the means to conduct research on them. The combination of these two factors creates an intense feeling of competition among scientists, leaving them weak and in the middle of work. The reputation of the scientific method, in the eyes of the average citizen, would be tarnished by incidents similar to that in the novel. A public outcry could significantly reduce the amount of funds available for research, thereby hindering the scientific process. The number lurking in the dark is just a taste of the competition. But his smile brightens widely when he discovers the secrecy and irrationality his poison has created. The Beast pits scientists against each other in a field where enormous amounts of knowledge and creativity are required, quantities that can only be achieved by many minds working together. Even if the competition is not as important as cancer research, for example, it is worth studying. The scientific community must work together to fight this beast that is working so hard to destroy it..