How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from 12 Monkeys.
Quote #7
RAILLY: Oh for God's sake, Owen, listen to me. He knew about the boy in Fresno, and he says five billion people are going to die.
FLETCHER: No way he could possibly know that. Kathryn. You're a rational person. You're a trained psychiatrist. You know the difference between what's real and what's not.
RAILLY: And what we say is the truth is what everybody accepts. Right, Owen? Psychiatry—it's the latest religion. We decide what's right and wrong. We decide who's crazy or not. I'm in trouble here. I'm losing my faith.
You would think Dr. Railly would yield all sorts of power. She is, after all, a well-known psychiatrist and card-carrying member of that social institution. But you would be wrong.
In many ways, Dr. Railly is just as subordinate to her institution as Cole. It tells her what to think, how to think, and how to act on said thoughts. When she starts to think thoughts that aren't allowed in her profession, she has a crisis of faith. As such, it is the institution itself, not the individuals within them, that wield power in12 Monkeys.
Quote #8
DR. GOINES: No, no. I don't know anything about a monkey army, Doctor. No, no. Nothing whatsoever. Good lord, if my son was ever involved in something like that…yeah? Well, I'm sorry. I think it's doubly inappropriate to discuss security matters with you Doctor, uh, Railly. But, uh, if it will ease your mind, rest assured that neither my son nor any other unauthorized person has access to potentially dangerous organisms in my laboratory. Is that clear to you now, ma'am? Thank you so much for your concern.
[He hangs up the phone.]
DR. GOINES: Women psychiatrists.
PETERS: I attended a lecture of hers once, "Apocalyptic Visions."
Let's go back to Dr. Goines. He argued the institution of science wielded great power to shape society, and as a result, they needed to be extra cautious with their research and its potential applications—see the nuclear bomb argument.
He should have taken his own advice. Dr. Goines gives Dr. Peters access to crazy deadly viruses, and Dr. Peters later steals one to eradicate humanity with. It's a "who watches the watchman" type situation here.
Quote #9
CABBIE: 12 Monkeys. In case you folks didn't turn on your radio this mornin'. Bunch of weirdos let all of the animals out of the zoo. Then they locked up this big-shot scientist in one of the cages. Scientist's own kid one of the ones who did it. They've got animals all over the place. Bunch of zebras closed down the thruway 'bout an hour ago. And they got something called an emu. It's got traffic blocked for miles on 676.
There's some awesome imagery to go along with this quote, featuring elephants, lions, and monkeys roaming the metal jungle of Philadelphia. But that imagery also lends itself to the theme of power.
Goines and his cohorts attempted to flip the power structure—freeing the animals and caging the scientist. However, the power structure is not so easily flipped. Although freed from the zoo, the animals are caged nonetheless within the confines of the city, unable to escape to their natural environments. And the caging of one scientist hardly prevents anyone else from science-ing it up.