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IsScienceDangerousDoessocietyneedprotectingfromscientificadvances?Mostemphaticallynot,solongasscientiststhemselvesandtheiremployersarecommittedtofulldisclosureofwhattheyknow.1、Theideathatknowledgeisdangerousisdeeplyembeddedinourculture.AdamandEvewereforbiddentoeatfromthebiblicalTreeofKnowledge,andin’sParadiseLosttheserpentaddressestheTreeasthe‘MotherofScience’.ThearchangelRaphaeladvisesAdamtobe“lowlywise”whenhetriestoquestionhimaboutthenatureoftheUniverse.Indeed,Westernliteratureisfilledwithimagesofscientistsmeddlingwithnature,withdisastrousresults.Scientistsareportrayedasasoullessgroup,unconcernedwithethicalissues.2、Butisscienceinfactdangerous,anddoscientistshavespecialsocialresponsibilities?Itisessentialtorecognizethatreliablescientificknowledgehasnomoralorethicalvalue.Sciencetellsushowtheworldis:thatwearenotatthecenteroftheUniverseisneithergoodnorbad,noristhepossibilitythatgenescouldinfluenceourintelligenceorbehavior.3、Dangersandethicalissuescomeintoplaywhenscientificresearchisdoneinpractice,forexampleinexperimentsinvolvinghumansandotheranimalsorwhenscienceisappliedtotechnology,orinissuesrelatedtosafety.Thereisthusanimportantdistinctionbetweenscienceandtechnology:betweenknowledgeandunderstandingontheonehand,andtheapplicationofthatknowledgetomakingsomething,orusingitinsomepracticalway,ontheother.4、Scienceproducesideasabouthowtheworldworks,whereastheideasintechnologyresultinusableobjects.Technologyismucholderthanscienceand,unaidedbyanyscience,itgaverisetoearlycraftssuchasagricultureandmetalworking.Iwouldarguethatsciencemadvirtuallynocontributiontotechnologyuntilthenineteenthcentury–eventhegreattriumphsofengineeringsuchasthesteamengineandRenaissancecathedralswerebuiltwithimaginativetrialanderror,virtuallywithoutanyimpactofscience.5.Whatevernewtechnologyisintroduced,itisnotforscientiststomakemoralorethicaldecisionsaboutitsuse,astheyhavenospecialrightsorskillsinthisregard.Thereisgravedangerinaskingscientiststobemoresociallyresponsibleiftheywouldalsobegiventherightandauthoritytomakesuchdecisionsontheirown.Thesocialobligationsthatscientistshave,asdistinctfromthoseresponsibilitiestheysharewithallcitizens(suchassupportingademocraticsocietyandtakingcareoftherightsofothers),comefromthemhavingaccesstospecializedknowledgeofhowtheworldworksthatisnoteasilyaccessibletoothers.Theirobligationistomakepublicanysocialimplicationsoftheirworkanditstechnologicalapplications,andtogivesomeassessmentofitsreliability.Inmostareasofscienceitmatterslittletothepublicwhetheraparticulartheoryisrightorwrong,butinsomeareas,suchashumanandplantgenetics,itmattersagreatdeal.6.Whenthefactsareexamineddispassionately,itisnoteasytofindcaseswherescientistshavebehavedunethicallyinrelationtothepublic.Contrarytosomeclaims,thereisnoevidencethattheydidsoeitherinthecaseofbovinespongiformencephalopathy(BSE)intheandelsewhereorintheAIDSbloodscandalcurrentlyreverberatingin,forexample.7.Themostclearcaseofimmoralityinscientificresearchwastheeugenicsmovement.Thescientificassumptionsbehindthiswerecrucial:thatmosthumanattributes(desirableandundesirable)areinherited.Thescientistsconcernedcompletelyfailedtogiveanassessmentofthereliabilityoftheirideasorsufficientlytoconsidertheirimplications.Onthecontrary,andevenmoreblameworthy,theirconclusionsseemtohavebeendrivenbywhattheysawasdesirablesocialimplications.Incontrast,theAlliedscientistswhobuilttheatomicbombbehavedmorally,andfulfilledtheirsocialobligationsbyinformingtheirgovernmentsabouttheimplicationsofatomictheory.Thedecisiontobuildthebombwastakenbypoliticians,notscientists.Shouldscientistsontheirowneverbeentitledtomakesuchdecisions?FortheGermaneugenicists,thereshouldhavebeenaconflictbetweentheirresponsibilitiesasscientistsandascitizens.8.How,then,shouldscientistsbehavewhenfacedwithaconflictbetweentheirresponsibilitiesasresearchersandtheirresponsibilitytothoseforwhomtheywork?Shouldascientistingovernmentemploymentallowhisorhersuperiorstokeepthedangersofeatingcertainfoodssecretfromthepublic?Similarly,whatistheethicalpositionofascientistworkingforachemicalcompanywhobelievesaproductisdangerous,yetwhoseemploymentcontractrequiresconfidentialityaboutthenatureoftheresearch?Inbothcases,oneshouldnotunderestimatetheproblemsinhazardassessment,initselfacomplexbusiness.Theproblemisnodifferenttothatofanyone,forexampleanaccountant,whodiscoverscorruption:ifnoactionistakenafterreportingthemattertohisorhersuperiors,theindividualmustmakeaverydifficultdecision.Scientists,justlikeeveryoneelse,havetotrynottobecometheunquestioningtoolsoftheiremployers.GeneticPornography9.Theveryterm“geneticengineering”conjuresuptheimageofFrankensteinandhismonster–MaryShelleywastheunintentionalevilfairygodmotherofgenetics–atraditionwell-knowninliterature(BraveNewWorld,TheIslandofDrMoreauandsoon),andmostrecentlymanifestedbythelikesofJurassicParkandGodzilla.ThemediaareawareofthisandoftenreportwhatIregardasgeneticpornography–reportsdresseduptotitillateandfrighten.Anastyexamplewasawidelydisseminatedpictureofamousewitha“human”earonitsback–notahumanearatallbutapi