issue31 我的第一篇

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31. "Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial."

The development of both basic and practical research through history helps people and the society made huge progress. As a result I generally agree with the speaker’s assertion that it is a good investment to allocate money on research. However, it is hard for us to predict whether the results of research, especially basic research, are controversial or not.

The first reason for my fundamental agreement is that the basic research helps people get rid of ignorance and transformed the original society into a highly civilized one. Basic scientific research on physics, chemistry and biology serves as a tool for mankind to explore unknown areas of the nature and explain the mysterious natural phenomenon. With the help of basic scientific research people were finally freed from the fear of the nature. For instance people thought that lightning express violent rage of the nature before Franklin unlock the secrets of it from the perspective of physics. Basic humanities research on philosophy, historiography and ethics, serves as a tool for mankind to help people truly understand themselves.

The basic research also provide theoretical basis for practical research which convert abstract theories to useful inventions. As a student major in biotechnology, a subject that applies biological theory on agricultural and medicine, I have a strong sense of the benefits of biotechnology. For example the genetically modified rice is an important application of biotechnology on agricultural. With the help of alien the GM rice has the ability to resist unfavorable weather such as drought and extraordinary high temperature. More importantly the higher output per acre than traditional rice ensure that even the farmlands decrease sharply because of desertification and soil erosion the total output of the rice will not be effected. Also the applications of biotechnology on medicine create new-fashioned medicine thus make it possible to cure fatal diseases like cancer and AIDS.

Although people have benefit a great deal from the development of both basic and practical research, some results of research also fueled fierce debate among the public such as human clone and nuclear weapons. Some people may argue that we should not spend money on the research whose results are controversial. However the investment happens before the results of research come out. It is hard to make a judgment of the results before it actually come out while we also lack standards of judgments. One cannot say the results of research is controversial just because it violates traditional moral and ethical principles for the reason that moral and ethical principles can be revised along with the development of technology. In the past time dissection and organ transplant all caused enormous controversy because they all violated the moral and ethical principles enacted by Christian Church. But they all accepted by the public nowadays.

Considering the significance of research for humankind it is reasonable even necessary for governments to spend money on research. More importantly governments need to establish clear standard and specific institution to evaluate the results of research so as to prevent the potential negative effects caused by the results of research.