issue69

423165179UID: 2649312

TOPIC: ISSUE69 - "Government should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development"

Several centuries ago, the Church of Rome banned Copernicus because the theory he brings out that sun is the centre of the solar system; nowadays, governments in many nations stand against the human clone technology. The question raised by the issue about the relationship between government and science is complex. While I partly agree with the notion this issue raised.

Above all, I can find two major arguments that can support the notion this issue raised. First, government's too much affect on the scientific, whichever support or restriction, is not a good thing. As too much political affect towards an academic discipline can clearly influence the academic atmosphere of this area and scholars may feel academic press as well as the press from the governments. And this may cause the over-pressed and low productivity of these scholars. Even At sometimes the governments use the affect towards scientific research and development as an means of political policy and this may doubtless brings negative affects on the scientific study. For instance the government's strong restrictions which involved in the Iran's nuclear technology is rather a political policy than a consideration over science future development.

The second argument is that, the government’s restriction on the scientific research is always depends on the social needs or considers over the future of one nation. While the judgment maybe biased because the leaders of a nation cannot foresee the future of science or the future of one nation. They can just make the perspective judgment over the future. As the example I cited above, the Church of Rome stand against the Copernicus theory, because they want to protect the holy position of the God in people's thoughts. Albeit they don not know that they have restrict to a truth which is benefit a lot today.

On the other hand, I do not agree with the notion that the government should let the science develop as it like. Science brings us amount of benefits such as the assembly line manufacturing free the labors from the low efficient work, and the airplanes free the travelers from long time of traveling. While science brings us a lot of negative affects too. The byproducts of chemistry industries are polluting our environment, the abuse of new drugs are threatening our children's health. According to these, I think the government should place some restrictions on science to regulate scientific development to a health channel to contribute to our society.

For my part, the best way to solve this complex problem is that government should place some restrictions on scientific research and the degree of the restrictions should depend on the different nature of various research projects. If the research project is useful but may cause dangers to our society, government should pay more attention to it. For instance, the human clone technology, the nuclear weapons or the drugs against mental illness should all been placed highly attention to. And only after the accurate judgment and regular administration, government can make sure that the science is developing along a health process.