Anyone ever read Cat's Cradle? What are some themes in the book?

Is this your first Vonnegut book? His themes often are the same from book to book.

Second, but the first one was so long ago that I don't remember it that well ( I should reread).

I learned about "pissants" from Vonnegut, I think from "Cat's Cradle"

bump

"Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either.

So be it." - Chapter 4

Also, everything Bokonon says is pretty revealing in terms of the theme.

bupmp

I dunno that science or religion is painted as outright bad; that sound over-simplified. Though it's been years since I've read it. If memory doesn't totally fail me:

One theme regarding religion was its relationship to the state, to politics - mutually antagonistic, mutually dependent.

As for science, I do think ice-nine represents an answer to a question like, "are there some things which are too dangerous for humans to know"? It's certainly not the only time Vonnegut poses our rational mind in opposition to our happiness; his later work Galapagos very directly blames human misery on our big brains and depicts the species' salvation coming only when we devolve and become way more stoopid. I mean, even lower than the LRC message board circa 2010.

I was thinking a more subtle theme could be the damnation of humanity and how humans are worthless... but it isn't THAT subtle.

Any really novel topics? I guess whether scientists should be held responsible for what they create?

You are thinking too broadly. Scientists being responsible isn't really one of the themes. That isn't the message.

Why don't you ask some of the guys in the Grateful Dead (the ones that are not, you know....dead)? Their music publishing company is called Ice Nine.

No one said "do your own homework?" Really?

What IS the message?

The message is that life is ridiculous and incomprehensible and difficult, and anything that helps people to pretend that they understand life can be beneficial.