Is Science Dangerous?

Wolpert, Lewis. "Is science dangerous?." Journal of molecular biology 319. !"##"$% 9&9'9(".
)*e idea t*at scientific +nowledge is dangerous is deeply embedded in our culture. ,dam and -.e were
forbidden to eat from t*e )ree of /nowledge, and in 0ilton1s 2aradise Lost t*e serpent addresses t*e
tree as t*e 10ot*er of 3cience1. Indeed t*e w*ole of western literature *as not been +ind to scientists and
is filled wit* images of t*em meddling wit* nature wit* disastrous results. Just consider 3*elley1s
4ran+enstein, 5oet*e1s 4aust and 6u7ley1s 8ra.e 9ew World. :ne will searc* wit* .ery little success
for a no.el in w*ic* scientists come out well ' t*e persistent image is t*at of scientists as a soulless
group unconcerned wit* et*ical issues. ,nd w*ere is t*ere a film sympat*etic to science?
2art of t*e problem is t*e conflation of science and tec*nology. )*e distinction between science and
tec*nology, between +nowledge and understanding on t*e one *and and t*e application of t*at
+nowledge to ma+ing somet*ing, or using it in some practical way, is fundamental.
3cience produces ideas about *ow t*e world wor+s, w*ereas t*e ideas in tec*nology result in usable
ob;ects. )ec*nology is muc* older t*an anyt*ing one could regard as science and unaided by any
science. )ec*nology ga.e rise to t*e crafts of early *umans, li+e agriculture and metalwor+ing. It is
tec*nology t*at carries wit* it et*ical issues, from motorcar production to cloning a *uman.
8y contrast, reliable scientific +nowledge is .alue'free and *as no moral or et*ical .alue. 3cience
merely tells us *ow t*e world is. )*at we are not at t*e centre of t*e uni.erse is neit*er good nor bad,
nor is t*e possibility t*at genes can influence our intelligence or our be*a.iour.
)*e social obligations t*at scientists *a.e as distinct from t*ose responsibilities t*ey s*are wit* all
citi<ens comes from t*em *a.ing access to specialised +nowledge of *ow t*e world wor+s, not easily
accessible to ot*ers. )*eir obligation is to bot* ma+e public any social implications of t*eir wor+ and its
possible applications and to gi.e some assessment of its reliability.
It is not easy to find e7amples of scientists as a group be*a.ing immorally or in a dangerous manner, t*e
classic paradigm being t*e eugenics mo.ement. )*e scientific assumptions be*ind t*is proposal are
crucial= t*e assumption is t*at most desirable and undesirable *uman attributes are in*erited. 9ot only
was talent percei.ed of as being in*erited, but so too were insanity and any +ind of so'called
feeblemindedness. )*ey completely failed to gi.e an assessment of t*e reliability of t*eir ideas. >uite
t*e contrary, and e.en more blamewort*y, t*eir conclusions seem to *a.e been dri.en by w*at t*ey saw
as t*e desirable social implications. 8y contrast, in relation to t*e building of t*e atomic bomb, scientists
be*a.ed morally and fulfilled t*eir social obligations by informing t*eir go.ernments about t*e
implications of atomic t*eory. It was an enormous engineering feat to build t*e bomb but t*e decision to
do t*is was ta+en by politicians, not scientists.
)*e moralists *a.e been out in force telling us of t*e *orrors of cloning. 0any ot*ers, national leaders
included, *a.e ;oined in a c*orus of *orror. 8ut w*at *orrors? W*at et*ical issues? In all t*e rig*teous
indignation not a single rele.ant new et*ical issue *as been spelled out.
)*ose w*o propose to clone a *uman are medical tec*nologists not scientists. It is not, as t*e bio'
moralists claim, t*at scientific inno.ation *as outstripped our social and moral codes. Just t*e opposite is
t*e case. )*eir obsession wit* t*e life of t*e embryo *as deflected our attention away from t*e real
issue, w*ic* is *ow c*ildren are raised and nurtured. )*e ills in our society *a.e not*ing to do wit*
assisting or pre.enting reproduction but are profoundly affected by *ow c*ildren are treated.
3o w*at danger does genetics pose? 5ene t*erapy, introducing genes to cure a genetic disease li+e cystic
fibrosis, carries ris+s, as do all new medical treatments. )*ere may well be problems wit* t*e testing of
new treatments, but are t*ese difficulties any different from t*ose related to trying out new drugs for
,I?3? ,n7ieties about creating designer babies are at present premature as it is too ris+y, and we may
*a.e, in t*e first instance, to accept w*at *as been called procreati.e autonomy, a couple1s rig*t to
control t*eir own role in reproduction unless t*e state *as a compelling reason for denying t*em t*at
control. 3*ould t*e et*ical issues relating to t*e applications of genetics, for e7ample, lead to stopping
researc* in t*is field? )*e indi.idual scientist cannot decide, for science, li+e genetics, is a collecti.e
acti.ity wit* no single indi.idual controlling t*e process of disco.ery. It is et*ically unacceptable and
impractical to censor any aspect of trying to understand t*e nature of our world.
Questions 1-6
?o t*e following statements agree wit* t*e information gi.en in @eading 2assage 1.
In boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true according to the passage
FALSE if the statement is false according to the passage
NOT
GIVEN
if the information is not given in the passage
1) )*e film industry does not ma+e films about science.
2) 3cientists do not wor+ in unison w*en deciding w*at needs to be researc*ed.
3) 2arents want to *a.e cloned c*ildren now.
4) )ec*nology was important before t*e de.elopment of science.
5) 0any people consider cloning to be undesirable.
6) 3cience and )ec*nology must be seen as separate entities.
Question 7
A*oose NO MORE !"N #O #ORDS from t*e passage for your answer.
W*at influenced t*e eugenics mo.ement w*en t*ey were summari<ing t*e findings of t*eir researc*? 7)
$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Questions %-11
A*oose ONE p*rase from t*e list of p*rases " - ! below to complete eac* of t*e following sentences.
Write t*e appropriate letters in bo7es %-11 on your answer s*eet.
&ist o' ()rases
" wor+ in groups in an unet*ical way
* was responsible for *elping to de.elop basic trades and s+ills
+ scientists are portrayed as being irreligious
D does not ma+e moral ;udgements
E become in.ol.ed in *a<ardous researc*
, scientists are seen to interfere wit* nature
- does not *elp us to understand *ow t*e world wor+s
! is more concerned wit* et*ics t*an researc*
%) In literature
.) )ec*nology
1/) 3cience
11) @arely do scientists
Question 12
A*oose t*e best answer 01 *1 + or D.
12) ,ccording to t*e writer, 3cience s*ows us
" our position in t*e uni.erse.
2 *ow intelligence affects our be*a.ior.
3 w*at t*e world is really li+e.
D scientists *a.e special social obligations.
Questions 1-6
?o t*e following statements agree wit* t*e information gi.en in @eading 2assage 1.
In boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true according to the passage
FALSE if the statement is false according to the passage
NOT
GIVEN
if the information is not given in the passage
1) )*e film industry does not ma+e films about science. ,"&SE
2) 3cientists do not wor+ in unison w*en deciding w*at needs to be researc*ed. ,"&SE
3) 2arents want to *a.e cloned c*ildren now. NO -I4EN
4) )ec*nology was important before t*e de.elopment of science. R5E
5) 0any people consider cloning to be undesirable. R5E
6) 3cience and )ec*nology must be seen as separate entities. R5E
Question 7
A*oose NO MORE !"N #O #ORDS from t*e passage for your answer.
W*at influenced t*e eugenics mo.ement w*en t*ey were summari<ing t*e findings of t*eir researc*? 7)
67esira89e) socia9 i:;9ications
Questions %-11
A*oose ONE p*rase from t*e list of p*rases " - ! below to complete eac* of t*e following sentences.
Write t*e appropriate letters in bo7es %-11 on your answer s*eet.
&ist o' ()rases
" wor+ in groups in an unet*ical way
* was responsible for *elping to de.elop basic trades and
s+ills
+ scientists are portrayed as being irreligious
D does not ma+e moral ;udgements
E become in.ol.ed in *a<ardous researc*
, scientists are seen to interfere wit* nature
- does not *elp us to understand *ow t*e world wor+s
! is more concerned wit* et*ics t*an researc*
%) In literature ,
.) )ec*nology 2
1/) 3cience D
11) @arely do scientists "
Question 12
A*oose t*e best answer 01 *1 + or D.
12) ,ccording to t*e writer, 3cience s*ows us
" our position in t*e uni.erse.
2 *ow intelligence affects our be*a.ior.
3 w*at t*e world is really li+e.
D scientists *a.e special social obligations.