issue31 by gaofei323

gaofei323UID: 2588256

TOPIC: ISSUE31 - "Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial."
WORDS: 476
TIME: 00:45:00
DATE: 2009-8-7 15:03:24

1．
研究工作是有可能带来不好的影响的
2．
比如航天研究。就有人做来洲际导弹和非法监视
3．
所以我们要从制度上保证研究工作的价值
4．
比如说对科学家的研究方向要限定。对科技成果的使用过程中出现的问题要解决。比如不能拿航天做导弹，也要注意太空垃圾和太空争夺的问题。

Technology is regarded as the great force to impel human society approaching, while sometimes it could serves as a detrimental power to bring drawbacks. Facing the complex characteristics of technology, it is reasonable to set limitations to ensure technology to be practiced in beneficial areas and avoid its harmfulness.

Why technology is such complex? To answer this question, we ought to consider why and how we make research. Generally, most researchers do their works directed by their own interests. They may be just fascinated by the amazing unknown world so be eager to explore them, with rare contemplation whether what they probably discover break down society or not. What's more, after a new technology becomes published, nobody knows who would possess it and how to use it. If a greedy merchant gain this technology and utilize it to make profits without concerning which terrible consequences would occur, it is hard to say the former investment is worthy.

A striking example would be used to illustrate the phenomenon. In previous century, many scientists plunged into the astronomical research with the keen curiosity on outer space. It is true this interest was pure and simple, however public suffered a lot due to its influence. Nearly all developed countries created the international missiles with its help to lunge satellites, which cause dramatic panic in some developing countries as they probably get hurt from any corner in the world. Even worse, some illegal persons stolen this technology and use to monitor others and achieve information to earn profit.

Admittedly, it is not fault on technology itself so we ought not to proclaim this investment is meaningless. Yet the incompetence of us to control technologies would be blamed.
If there are comprehensive and effective regulations to confine both scientists who make research and user who practice the result of researches, the huge power of it would be used to bring obtainments, convenience and happiness to our world.

So what kinds of regulations are necessary? There may two parts. Firstly, some regulations ought to limit what direction for researchers to march on. It is extremely horrible to provide them total freedom. Just image if some of those astronomical scientists are entranced in making various weapons with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, how could some poor countries feel? Can their populations enjoy safety? And even endless quarrels would be triggered by this behavior, even wars.

Secondly, when we promise scientist to make beneficial research, similarly we need to confine these results would be implemented in an appropriate way, besides playing its positive influences, but also caring and prohibiting the negative ones. For the same example, setting off satellites into space for collecting outer space data, for communicating with different areas, or for making experiments without gravity is inspiring, but if a country only focus on making sophisticated weapons to validate its own authority and to changed international order for more profits, much discontentment as well as worry would be caused in other countries and more opponents would be created and to obstructed itself. It is hard to say such investment is favorable.
Also, even if purposes are appropriate, some concomitant harmful results would be noticed such as how to recollect these equipments and how to define the orbit or each county shall to be clarified. The potential issues of space rubbish problem and space competition have sprouted.

Since thousands of years before, each time of great advancement of technology has brought significant stimulations for human society; however, until now we are not sophisticated to control technology to avoid its detrimental influence. In order to take fully advantage of what researches bring to us, more regulations are indispensible both for scientist and users. Otherwise, technology may serve as a boom to destroy us, as powerful as it impelled us.