Issue69 [Shining Sep 作文组] 8.25

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TOPIC: ISSUE69 - "Government should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development"
WORDS: 572          TIME: 1:28:36          DATE: 2006-8-26

In this era of rapid social and technological change leading to increasing life complexity and psychological displacement, there is a public controversy over the issue of whether government should place restrictions on scientific research and development. I agree that restrictions could prevent people losing control of some dangerous scientific research; however, most restrictions of government would impede the improvement of science. Otherwise, these restrictions may defeat its own purposes in the long run.

Without government's restrictions, scientific research and development could be more efficient. Scientists in different countries all over the world could do the most difficult worldwide problems. The best example is the famous international space station Mir, which is constituted by several parts made in different nations. On Mir, many newest scientific researches has been done by scientists who come from different nations. This worldwide scientific research cooperation all attributed to the government. Because governments do not restrict scientists, the United States space shuttle could dock with Russian space station Mir. Moreover, another great project which could not lack of governments' support is decoding human genome. To achieve this project, it would cost a long time, a lot of money, and much effort of many scientists. The most proper way to complete this mission as quickly as possible is to divide this huge project into several parts and distribute them to scientists all over the world. If governments place restrictions on scientific research, it is hard to decoding human genome in a short time, and it also would waste a lot of resource which could use in other fields.

Government's restrictions could cumber the development of nations and impede the progress of societies. For instance, during the Qing dynasty, China had been invaded by other mighty nations. Many scholars suggested the government should study the new, advanced technologies and systems from the invaders, and then use their knowledge to defeat themselves. However, to protect the rights of nobilities and to stabilize the dominion of emperor, the government of China forbid people to know the situation out of China, and prohibited people to learn new things including scientific knowledge. Because of the restrictions which government placed on scientific development, it is not surprising that Chinese army without advanced weapons was defeated by others. After that, China became semicolonial and semifeodal country and Chinese had suffered indescribable disasters for over one hundred years. This fact indicates that restrictions on scientific research and development may cause a serious result.

Nevertheless, government needs to control the development of science, especially some high-risk research, such as nuclear energy, some biology technologies. Using nuclear energy rationally can give much benefit to human. On the contrary, using nuclear energy also can lead some terrible disasters. Nuclear leakage and nuclear bomb are threatening human's existence. If government does not restrict this research and this powerful energy is controlled by terrorists, the consequence would be unimaginable. Not only the nuclear research should be restricted, but also the clone technology. Without government's restriction, the result which biology technology can cause is rather serious. Cloning human would make a big confusion in human society. Gene modification would also challenge human's ethics. To prevent these happen, government should control the scientific research.

From what has been discussed above, excessive restrictions on scientific development could make several disadvantages, but it is necessary to control some high-risk researches. To find a balance between restriction and freedom can make science bring more benefit to human.