Section 2. Article

Jot down the key information and retell

Should scientists assume their social responsibilities?

Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it. (Alan Valentine)

1.Scientists are like the pioneers of human society, exploring the unknowing, unraveling the mysteries, and making breakthroughs. A 'scientist' is a person who engages in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge by using scientific method. Some inventions are not just ANY findings, but ground-breaking discoveries that change our way of live. A prominent example is the atomic bomb. First 'discovered' in 1938 by German scientists, it took only 7 years before unleashing its unprecedented super-destructive power to world, when US planes dropped two bombs on the cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki in August 1945. Some believe that scientists ought to shoulder the negative impacts of their discoveries. In my viewpoint it is unfair and ridiculous to ask scientists answer for the negative results of their discoveries.

First, it is unfair to blame scientists for the undesirable results of their findings if they themselves do not put the findings in large scale application. Just like a piece of brick can be used to build house or to murder someone, the effect of scientific discovery is not up to its finders but users, like politicians, businessmen, and investors in most cases. For instance, we should not blame the scientists in the Manhattan Project for the disastrous results of atomic explosion but the politicians in the White House who decided to use it in war. If all the responsibilities went to the scientists, not the actual utilizers, it would give those abusers excuse to continue their misbehaviors, while innocent scientists become their scapegoat.

3.Besides, were the scientists asked to be accountable for all the possible negative outcomes of their discoveries, it will undoubtedly hind the progress of science and even our society. The process of scientific research can be compared to exploration into a dark and gloomy cavern. The experiments and researches are just like leaders of the team with torches in hand, lighting up the darkness. And who knows what in the dark? It may be treasures, yet sometimes snakes or even monsters. Likewise, scientific discovery is sometimes controversial and unfavorable. If explorers are required to be responsible for every step they move on, undoubtedly, they would become overcautious and even scared to make progress.

Admittedly, some scientific findings have already shown unfavorable impacts when discovered by scientists. For example, soon after it was discovered, scientists have recognized the formidable power of nuclear fission. In such cases, however, scientists can remind people its negative consequences. Many responsible scientists in the Manhattan Project, including Robert Oppenheimer, the Father of Atomic Bomb, wrote report to warn politicians to use the atomic bomb cautiously in war. Thus, that scientist should not be blame for the harmful effects of their discoveries does not follow that they are entirely irrelevant to the application of such discovers. Conscious scientists are always there to assume their social responsibilities. While we should put reasonable requirements and expectations on scientists, scientists themselves do have the obligations to remind people about negative consequences of their discoveries.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14