Issue31 【0806G-Sunbird小组】Norman第1次作业

norman518UID: 188582

TOPIC: ISSUE31 - "Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial."
WORDS: 378          TIME: 0:45:00          DATE: 2007-11-6
Modify: 698

Research, as an impetus of the development of human society, embodies beings' craving for unknown world and dealing with harassing difficulties. I agree in so far as the investment on research is an intelligent orientation and strategy regardless of the results of research. However, the speaker's assertion goes far away, because the he or she takes no account of the uncertainty of research and the risky characteristic of investment.

Admittedly, investment on research, especial in the fundamental or theoretical field, is a beneficial and desirable enterprise in the long term. Under the guidance of theory or assumption, the application industry cannot always be prosperous until a breakthrough of academic research has been carried out. With the popularization of the results of research, the benefits are not only confined with investors’ profits or researchers’ renown, but also disseminated to every corner of the world. Without the research of new material-- such as superconductor, nanotechnology and so on, the technology of IC or SLSI cannot be developed in an increasing speed, and PC or Internet cannot be popular in a decreasing price; without the exploration of genetics and biology, the secret of life would remain inscrutable, many new medicines could not be published and many troublesome diseases would annoy human health. Therefore, it is the time for governments to increase investment on research for social progress and people’s welfare.

However, any research is born with unsure results resulting from the human instinct--- curiosity as the motive of any exploration. After all, research in many fields involves exploring the unknown and goading the inspiration which belong to undeterminacy, so no one could accurately predict the results of research until that research has been processed. To deal with those uncertain, both researcher and investor should be well-considered and well-arranged to research. In the evaluation and reflection those possible results of research, it is unevadable to lead to conflicts or controversy related to research. In this situation, disputing on research maybe redound to make research towards beneficial inclination, rather than eliminate the uncertainty of research’s results. What is more, the application of academic results could result in catastrophic effects beyond its favorable intention. For supporting examples one need look no further more than the misuse of nuclear power and biochemical products, and the abuse of cloning technology. So it is the very uncertainty and misuse of scientific results that make the futurity of research still covered with cloudy shadow.

When it comes to investment, an unescapable fact is that any investment brings us benefit as well as loss, which is called venture consisting of strategic, cost-benefit and effective venture. For the gradual and accumulative effect of those research products, it is hard for us to judge whether the advantages of scientific results always surpass its disadvantages, or the contrary. The example of DDT’s remains found on the Antarctic can aptly illuminate this point, DDT as a toxic fertilizer has been prohibited to widely use for decades ago. In this ambiguous case, those financial analysts and investors cannot distinguish between advantage and disadvantage of research products, how can they make an accurate cost-benefit analysis of research? And then, how can they access their investment being a good enterprise? Maybe they judge their investment only in terms of whether profitable or not in the current. And more, adding to above uncertainty of research result, the characteristic risks of investing on research are especially unbridled, let alone for us to make a extreme conclusion. In a short, it is presumptuous to point that money spent on research is almost always a good investment just according to its current benefits.

All in all, to be sure, investment on research is indeed a long-term orientation and strategy in that its results should not only benefit to individual and government, but also to the world as a whole. But this is not to say that money spend on research is always a good investment for the ambiguity of research results and the risk of investment. In the circumstance of qualified funds, this calls for these governors and investors to make a balance between cost and benefit, and result’s effects between in the long run and in the short run.

[ 本帖最后由 norman518 于 2007-11-11 18:23 编辑 ]