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“Discuss some of the moral issues facing the world of science and technology.”

As early as two millennia ago, a myriad of wondrous natural phenomena has sent Man on an unending quest for knowledge to unravel the mysteries of Mother Nature. Today, the human race can proudly proclaim that we have advanced immensely since the ancient Stone Age. “Necessity is the mother of invention” is an age-old adage that applies to all aspects of our everyday life. For instance, Man invented the wheel to facilitate factory processes which eventually led to the Industrial Revolution which improved the lives of many. The fundamental objective of science is to bring about advancement of humankind without compromising our morality at the same time. Moreover, certain moral implications arising from scientific research might serve to slow down the pace of research. As such, we should constantly examine and reflect on the different moral issues in the field of science and technology.

Firstly, the issue of upholding scientific integrity has been brought to the forefront with the recent Korean stem cell debacle. This unfortunate incident led to the tarnishing of the image of South Korea as a leader in scientific stem cell research. South Korean scientists are now regarded with suspicion in the scientific community. Research fraud is a very significant moral issue in the field of science and technology. Scientists need to have basic integrity not to falsify results as such an act might bring about dire consequences as illustrated by the South Korean stem cell debacle. In the South Korean incident, the claims of having produced patient-specific embryonic stem-cell lines have fueled hopes of being able to cure incurable diseases like cancer in the near future. However, with the revelation that these claims are bogus, this prospect is now dashed. The reputation of the country where the scientist is based is also tarnished. Research fraud entails serious repercussions for many parties and should be eradicated. Nature reported from a confidential poll it conducted of scientists that more than 5% of them had discarded data that contradicted previous research, or had been complacent about protections for human subjects. About 15% conceded they had changed a study's parameters or outcomes to satisfy sponsors who funded the work, or ignored observations just because they felt they were inaccurate. The prevalence of such conduct underscores the urgent need for guidelines to be set in place to further regulate the scientific industry or scientists face the risk of losing valuable public trust. We also need to engage the cooperation of scientists likewise to uphold the integrity of their occupation to prevent history from repeating itself. It would be highly undesirable if scientific integrity is trumped just for selfish gains like fame and the eliciting of federal grants from governments. Let not the credibility of the scientific community and the value of science be undermined by fraud.

Another moral issue of significance arises from the mixed responses of the public towards the field of genetic engineering, which is the scientific alteration of the structure of genetic material in a living organism. This technology has led to the developments of many beneficial technologies like therapeutic cloning and the production of pest-resistant Genetically Modified(GM) food which reduce farmers’ usage of pesticides that harm the environment. Genetic engineering encompasses many aspects of the morality of mankind. Misuse of this technology could also lead to bioterrorism where terrorists invent a virus that could cause a worldwide epidemic when unleashed. As such, Singapore has enacted a law, ‘Regulation of Biomedical Research Act 2003’ to make it compulsory that all biomedical researchers are registered so as to limit the spread of knowledge to potential bioterrorists.

Cloning is a highly controversial field of scientific study. The underlying moral issue is that there is no rule that scientists own the right to tamper with embryos so as to find cures for diseases for living people. We do not know whose life is more valuable, an embryo with the potential to grow into the fullness of humanity it possesses or an ailing person waiting for a cure. Who is to say that the embryo’s life can be sacrificed for the sake of the betterment of mankind? There is no clear-cut answer. Among religious people, reproductive cloning is “playing god” and going against the natural order of human life. Moreover, reproductive cloning involves the experimentation with fertilized human embryos and opponents argue that it is a grossly immoral way of tampering with human life. Even though scientists maintain that human life officially begins after 14 days of conception, many religions still believe that the embryo already has a soul from the time of conception and should be regarded as a normal human being with basic human rights. The experimentation with the embryo is thus a violation of human rights. Embryonic stem-cell research also branches into a new area of designer babies, whether parents are allowed to modify genetic traits in babies to make them more outstanding. This interference with the child’s gene structure may produce unnaturally high expectations of parents on their babies when they are born because they spent thousands of dollars altering the genes of their babies before birth. The solidarity between children and parents may eventually break down. This is an undesirable side-effect of designer babies. However, there is a beneficial aspect as well. Allowing parents to modify defective genes in their babies before they are born will allow these children to be cured of their disabilities and they will live a normal life as other children and be exposed to equal opportunities for advancement. Such a technology will not only reduce abortions but also to ensure that these disabled children are not seen as a burden to their parents in later years and receive unfair treatment.

Increased knowledge through increased advancements in the world of science and technology is beneficial to humankind. However, this information could be exploited by terrorists or war fanatics to cause mass destruction. An example is the creation of Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMD), like the atomic bomb which was used to attack Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 causing many people to die from the after-effects of radiation. Another example is the creation of the dynamite by Alfred Nobel in 1867 for mining and tunnel construction to create a better system of transportation during the Industrial Revolution. Unfortunately, it was misused for acts of violence against fellow human beings in wars. We should not focus our energies on preventing countries from acquiring weapons technology but to create a stable global community and to constantly engage them so as to discourage these countries from resorting to war. There is no fair system of judgment, and it follows on that there is an issue of who is the one that judges that which country should be allowed to own the technology and utilize it the way they want to. For example, both America and Iran own nuclear technology but Iran is facing severe pressure, especially from America, to renounce its possession of this technology but America itself has also not disarmed its nuclear weapons even though it promised to do so in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Which party is in the wrong then? Also, misuse of technology is not the fault of science but the fault of the party who utilizes the technology in a harmful way. It is the duty of the country to reflect on the consequences of utilizing such weapons of mass destruction and to develop a strong sense of responsibility to the international community such that maintaining world peace is a prerogative in her agenda.

Religion is a major factor that pits people against the field of science and technology. To what extent should scientists compromise religious principles for the sake of scientific research? Scientists often face severe criticisms from religious clerics for destroying the sanctity of human life through artificial reproductive treatments. Two generations ago in the US, there were loud outcries against in-vitro fertilization but today, it has proved that such technology is a great boon to childless couples. If scientists then had given in to pressure from the religious community, such technology would not exist today. Even though it is not beneficial for science to strictly adhere to religious principles, religion still provides a useful marker to ensure that scientific research does not proceed to such an extent that it seriously goes against morals.

In conclusion, we can see that in the world of science and technology, there is always contention based on the potential harms or benefits any particular field of science and technology could bring about. Research fraud compromises scientific integrity, while genetic engineering could result in several negative incidents despite its promises of a better world free of illnesses. Religion and science often have conflicting interests and it is imperative for an agreement to be reached between the two. It is not exactly necessary for science research to conform entirely to the expectations of religions, but it is quintessential that science is used in a morally acceptable way, that is, to benefit humankind and not to cause mass destruction. Only then, can the betterment of mankind be achieved.

(1511 words)


LOOKING BACK MY COMMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS
GOOD LANGUAGE
NOT SO IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF ISSUES ESP FOR THE RESEARCH FRAUD (QUITE A BIT OF REPETITION IN MY LANGUAGE AND A BIT OF REDUNDANCY)
SOME MAJOR ISSUES NOT TOUCHED ON IE. THERAPEUTIC STEM-CELL RESEARCH AND GM FOOD

OK HOpe u enjoy the essay! =) i remember that i had a HARD time trying to churn out this essay man!