Back to the
question, people often misunderstand what science is, so let me first define
it. For the purpose of this piece I have chosen a basic definition: “science is
knowledge attained through study or practice.” So science is a body of knowledge,
it tells us how the world is, based upon scientific research conducted. On its
own knowledge is perfectly safe and has no moral value but the point at which
science can become dangerous is when science (or knowledge) is applied through
technology.
Technology
means applying knowledge to create something and I think the beauty of science
is often overlooked; science is not about creating a product or tool to achieve
a purpose or solve a problem however it is the collecting of facts and data from
a systematic approach which then leads to further knowledge and thus can be
used to help create technology.
Can scientists be blamed for the creation of technology that endangers lives? This is a question that has been raised many times in society and specifically in the blaming of people for events that have happened in the past. What we have to remember is that scientists research and discover and that the application and use of such discoveries are by politicians and world leaders. This said I am not displacing the whole blame off them after all they may have developed the weapon that led to the killing of innocent people. When scientists are purposely exploring a scientific area to create a weapon then scientists are directly involved and are aware of what the consequences of their discovery could be, such as military scientists creating weapons which will be used against the enemy.
The question
‘can science be dangerous?’ is irrelevant- it is like saying can a knife on its
own be dangerous? Of course it is not as there is nothing to interfere with it,
it is simply an object but it has the capacity to become dangerous when a human
uses it to commit a crime for example. Despite this we still have to be wary of
the consequences of science and this is precisely why there are strict rules
governing science and scientific experiments. I just hope that science can continue
safely without hindrance and will continue to aid human development.
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Isaac Asimov
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