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我把 苹果的 转过来咯~~
issue 31
"Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial."
I agree with the speaker's idea, which
is in general speaking, it is a wise investment that spent money on research. However, the speaker unnecessarily expanded the scope of this idea. Some convict reasons demonstrate that some kinds of researches is unreasonable, but the speaker has neglected them. Because of this, the researches with controversial results are included in his assortment. The points I want to argue with the speaker include basic target and the essence. I will argue as follows:
I do agree that the speaker has stand on the right philosophy aspect. After all, our aims of doing research are finding right answers of question and finding forever solution for our question which has bothered us for a long time. Research is also a very important meaning for our mankind trying to satisfy the endless admiring of knowledge and to understand ourselves and the world. But the first point I want to argue with speaker is about the exact definition of research. The speaker thinks that, it is an illogical presumes that we can know the result of research before investing on it. On the contrast, a research must explore the unknown and unpredictable field if it is worthy to do. In fact, it is a question that if the research which is returning-soon and predictable could be created and breaking through, or in other words, if it is a research.
Although we should invest on research without considering if it has a controversial result or not, but at the same time, we should circumspect to invest on the research which has a vague goal and uncertain potential benefits. After all, this money can be used in address more emergent problems in our society, and these problems may need not research. From this aspect, the opportunity costs of those expensive researches are extremely high. The proper example to interpret this problem is the "star wars" defense plan which is supported by
Regan's administration in 1980s. Now we can see that the plan is ill-conceived, and it has also wasted a lot of taxpayers’ money. What is more, there are little people will disagree the following saying, that is, if the money spent on this plan were used to address more emergent problems, it will more useful. For example, this money can be used to initiate after-school program for the children whose parents have not enough time to take care of them, or certify people's recognition and education about AIDS and so on. Just as the following fact saying, the "star wars" left us the wide spreading violent and ADIS, and federal deficit we have not ever had before.
The speaker's point also has been confusing on two other aspects. Firstly, more research cannot totally solute war, poverty and violent which have been problems for a long time, because these problems are caused by human nature, such as the aggression and greed. Although the research about mankind genome may finally remove the bad aspects in mankind nature, the address of these problems lays on the economists, diplomats, social reformers and jurists, but not the labels. Secondly, every research breakthrough aiming at relieving mankind pain is another factor of deepening mankind's suffering at the same time. For example, someone may argue that, the physicists who found how to utilize atomic energy are invaluable "peace keepers" because they have provided us another alternative energy, but they have totally neglected hundreds of millions innocent people who lost their lives or being hurt in atomic blasts and nuclear leakage accidents. In addition, after research have realized the commitment that "chemistry will bring us better life ", however, it bring us chemistry weapon that being used for kill mankind. All in all, so called "progress" brought by research always equals with pure lost of our mankind.
Totally speaking, the speaker's point about we should invest on controversial research evade the problem. Because only after investing, we can know whether it would lead to controversial results. As to the speaker's general point, I agree that it is a wise investment that spent money on research, because it is an investment on pushing mankind knowledge forward, and it is also an investment on developing visionary and spirit of mankind. However, we are ....waste resources when we research without specific goal and target but simply research because of research. These resources could be used for lighting those weaker suffering, who has suffered depression, low status because of poverty or can't acquire equal right. All in all, we should allocate reasonable and balance when allocate those resource in conflict social goal at an exhaustible resource situation. |
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