• Question: Do you believe that science is causing the earth problems, such as using up our resources, or solving problems, such as creating cures for diseases?

    Asked by puffcheese to Amy, Grant, Martin, Shawn, Usman on 13 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Shawn Domagal-Goldman

      Shawn Domagal-Goldman answered on 13 Mar 2013:

      It’s both!

      The things we learn from science are powerful! That means they give us an ability to do the planet more harm and use up our resources… but they also give us the ability to heal the planet, use less resources, and cure diseases. An extreme example is nuclear science. That led to the nuclear bomb, which is the most destructive technology we’ve ever used. But it also could eventually lead to clean energy sources that could power our planet without causing global warming. The key here is a quote from Spider-Man:

      “With great power comes great responsibility.”

      This is why a lot of people think very hard about the “right” and “wrong” things to do with our research and the things we find through science. That area of work is generally called “science ethics.” If you’re really interested in this, maybe you could pursue it for a career! 🙂

    • Photo: Martin Archer

      Martin Archer answered on 13 Mar 2013:

      I agree with Shawn here (plus he used a Spider-Man quote which is awesome). I’d say that overall science has probably done more good than harm over the hundreds of years we’ve been doing it – so let’s give it a break. Us scientists are working on some of the current problems and hopefully we’ll find the answers.

    • Photo: Grant Kennedy

      Grant Kennedy answered on 16 Mar 2013:

      That’s a really good question!

      I think mostly it’s not science that causes the Earth problems. Like just because we invented the combustion engine for cars doesn’t mean we should go to war to get oil that belongs to another country. There’s a difference between being able to do something, like knowing how to make a nuclear bomb or how to burn coal or gas for electricity (the science), and actually doing it, which is a political and/or business decision that usually isn’t made by scientists. Most of the Earth’s problems are caused by the increasing population and everyone’s desire (mine included) to live better lives than in the past, and that requires loads of Earth’s resources. It’s not science’s fault we’re so greedy, and iPhones don’t grow on trees!

      As Shawn said, we do have some choices about the technology that we invent, and right now a lot of effort is going into things that are not as destructive, such as medical science and green energy. Scientists are now probably making better decisions these days about the technology that should be developed.

      If you look back in history, people used to die of all kinds of things that are easily avoidable now, and don’t anymore thanks to science. So I think on average science has been a good thing, and now that we’re more aware of the potential dangers of new ideas, it will continue to focus on things that are better for the planet too.

      g

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