science

science

Exploring the Impact of Scientific Discoveries on Society

1. Introduction to the Interplay Between Science and Society

As we stand now and consider where we are in terms of scientific advance and where society is in relation to that advance, it is interesting to consider how society and science got to be where they are. The question that one might ask is whether advanced societies developed as a result of scientific discoveries or whether it was the other way around. Rather than answering the question directly, we will come at it in a roundabout way. First, it is important to recognize that one has been with the other for quite some time. The components of western thought had their origins in ancient Greece. It is here that one might argue that an independent line of reasoning was first used in addressing the matters of how the world is functioning and what is the nature of its workings. From this period until the present time, the underlying question has always been the mind/body problem. If nothing else, the mind/body question speaks to the relationship of the individual to the society in which he lives. It may seem strange to begin the process of attempting to define the impact of scientific discoveries by jumping backward to the ancient Greeks, but this is the essence of the question. We ask how does knowledge of the natural world and personal belief combine to affect the behavior of a given society.

In the chaos of daily life, few people ever take the time to wonder about the future of humanity. If this lack of concern is not troubling enough, at times when society is completely wrapped up in its problems, it is even less likely that anyone would take a moment off to think about what might be causing the problems in the first place. As much as we would like to be able to tune out the larger issues of life, what we term “scientific breakthroughs” are often nothing more than the discovery of the root causes of societal problems. There are two ways of approaching the process of modern-day science. One view is to support and nurture the scientific community on the notion that scientific breakthroughs are to the ultimate advantage of society. The other view is that scientific discovery is a dangerous game that must be kept in check at all times.

2. Historical Perspectives: Key Scientific Discoveries and Their Societal Impacts

The purely scientific perspective seems often to have been overemphasized. We cannot and we should not ignore the modern aspects of the exploration of science, but we can and should temper them with the broader context of our discoveries. This means that we need to do three things. First, it is apparent that of all the media and communication devices at our disposal, only historical narrative is able properly to infuse scientific consciousness with the necessary wider human context. This is as true of our scientific journals as it is of our science teaching; the broader world of human discovery should be emphasized and slotted in its rightful place not just in every course of instruction, but also in every article and paper on which humanity’s future knowledge will be based. Second, we desperately need to start and continue a dialogue with those who value and promote science in modern society, clarifying the mechanisms by which its discoveries exert their societal impact. Finally, there is a need to join this with the real and potent discoveries from the history of science. After all, knowledge of these discoveries does demonstrate the relevance of a perspective that takes into account the broader impact of science.

No major collective human endeavor can be studied in isolation, and science is no exception. Scientific discoveries have transformed the world in such profound ways that it takes considerable thought and historical perspective to appreciate the incredibly powerful and positive impacts they have had. But it is all too easy to focus solely on the immediate benefits or disadvantages of these discoveries, which sometimes far outweigh any drawbacks, and lose sight of the broader societal repercussions over time. This problem has been made particularly serious because of the relatively short period of time over which the major scientific discoveries of the past few centuries have taken place.

3. Contemporary Issues: Ethical Considerations in Scientific Research

Scientific research funding is more available and more visible than ever. The political payback of funding too much poor or just too much research is, with the occasional highly publicized exception that proves the rule, tiny. Favorable outcomes such as job creation, social and economic competitiveness, and health improvements appear solidly correlated with fiscal resources applied. Although there is widespread public approval of basic biomedical science, long-term goals are seldom influenced by immediate career, survival, tenure, or lay political constraints which dominate the careers of those who do research. Consequences, both predictable and unintended, can be dismissed too easily and rapidly. In part, this occurs because science is both complex and relevant, and because regulatory structures are unable to keep up with the pace of change. Scientists, legislators, and citizens believe that whoever exerts any degree of control will, by definition, diminish the exercise of research.

Benefits of scientific research undoubtedly have the potential to do much that is good for humanity and, indeed, the world as a whole. Sadly, this power has also become one of the more significant challenges of today’s science, as has been well and truly brought home by Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Seveso, Bhopal, Chernobyl, two wars’ worth of ecological destruction, and intangible hazards such as the use of computers by repressive political regimes. Just as the power of much of today’s scientific endeavor is without parallel, so also is the potential for catastrophe. Genetic engineering, cloning, recombinant DNA, bioremediation of toxic waste disposal, and modern warfare are just a few examples of the fact that today’s science is intrinsically complex, unbelievably fast, perimeterless, highly diverse, and has the potential to do wrong on an unprecedented scale. Coming to an appropriate understanding of this potential and legislating to manage it properly is a very difficult challenge of modern science.

4. Innovations and Future Directions: Emerging Technologies and Their Implications

4.3 Harnessing the Power of Biological Systems Biological organisms provide remarkable solutions to a variety of functional and operational problems. From fundamental aspects such as self-healing and the ability to grow and reproduce with efficiency to the most specialized functional capabilities like the human brain. These biological systems are extremely complex and inherently lack the types of problems that interest computer scientists. They don’t, however, require anything other than simple molecules to assemble or operate, complex molecular systems with advanced functionality sharing common lines of ancestry all over the tree of life.

4.2 Quantum Science and Engineering Quantum science and engineering has the potential to revolutionize society in the coming century. That’s why it’s important not just to ask how we can get the benefits of those powerful new technologies, but to ask who gets them. Who has the power to make himself stronger through science and who does not? But whose opinions are being brought to the power base? Does everybody have a right to say what kinds of research should be supported? Where do we make decisions?

4.1 Learning Digital Systems The organization, characterization, and assembly of simple components into intricate and functional systems lie at the heart of engineering. We have seen that paradigm in action over and over with remarkable precision in the context of electronics. Creating, using, and controlling electrons to build complex systems underpin a multitude of engineered systems, from the simplest light switch to the most complex computer systems. We have also seen some use of photons in global communication systems and a few specialized databases, but with much less of the same organization, characterization, and systematic assembly in other areas requiring interaction between multiple energy scales. Information theory and computing systems offer a profound and complementary approach to those fields that employ electrons carefully organized by electrostatic fields, and they engender special insights into particular questions across many disparate fields. The overarching guiding principle of how information theory and computing systems influence the physical world is part and parcel of the present intellectual conversation.

In this section, we investigate the future of scientific innovations on societal trends. We highlight three key recent technological principles—learning digital systems, quantum science and engineering, and harnessing the power of biological systems—that hold significant potential to transform the world.