"Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial."
Nowadays a lot of researches would come out to be controversial concerning the moral or practical disadvantages. The speaker still alleges that money spent on research is always a good investment regardless of the controversial results. I contend whether the investment is good or not depends on the perspectives of different groups of people.
Firstly, when it comes to the investors, money spent on research is indeed always a good investment once the research succeeds and then puts into practice. The purpose of the investment focuses on profit invariably. Thus investors would like to put money on the research of expected high reward, regardless of whether the results would be controversial. Nuclear weapon is considered harmful to human peace and security. However, the research on it has never ceased all over the world. In addition to the safety consideration of countries, the main motivation of investment on the research is the huge profit it would bring about. Genetic research faces the same circumstance. Although some scientists and whole society worry about the moral disorder that would incited from the abuse of such technology in cloning humans once it succeeds, research on it still going on because the potential profit that the genetic treatment would bring about.
When it comes to the public welfare, the problem becomes more complex than a simple right-or-wrong question. On one hand, such research and the products from it will definitely do some good for people. Both nuclear power used in generating electricity and the anticipated genetic medicine treating with the inborn disease of people are beneficial for people all over the world. However technology is always a double-edged sward. On the other hand, the abuse of such research would bring about much grieve to people. Let alone the obvious adverse result the research mentioned above, the destruction of environment by industry has already taken into account for a lot of countries that some of them once considered restricting the use of automobiles or other technologic products in order to protect the environment of the Earth and protect the living condition of human beings as well.
As a result, the consideration of the investment of research should take the both sides of interests into account and compare with them. Generally speaking, only if there is expected profit in the research, the investment on it would never cease. However, investors and government had better consider the possible neglect result of such research-- the destroy of the whole world by nuclear weapons or the destruction of the moral system by cloning people wantonly-- and make wise choice on it. Countries have already legislated regulations restricting the research on some controversial researches or prohibit the abuse of the results on neglect sides.
To sum up, the research resulted in controversial results would not be a good investment at the stance of all the humans although it may bring about lucrative financial reward. Thus investment on such research should be prudent enough lest the horrible destroy of the living condition occur irrevocably. (502 words 45 min)