Issue69【六人作文小组】第3周第5次作业

sneakerliuUID: 2481691

TOPIC: ISSUE69 - "Government should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development"
WORDS: 641
TIME: 上午 12:45:00
DATE: 2009-1-23
提纲1，科技双刃剑
2，可以决定科技的三要素,政府最重要
3，环境上政府的限制有好处
4，伦理道德上政府的限制也是好的
5，可政府的限制不该过多，不该ABUSE，因为政府本质上只能保持和摧毁

Since the first industrial revolution, with ever fastest developing of technology and science, mankind’s' life has changed dramatically. In retrospect, the science enables humans with both more convenience and comforts and serious problems such as pollutions and wars. Meanwhile, it causes many disputes like clone and assist suicide that we still do not find a correct answer until recently. Those problems emerge, from my point of view, associated either to the abuse of government restriction or lack of, or both.

Above all, there are two other restrictions other than the one of governments, moral standard and the invisible hand described by Adam Smith. As for moral standard, no one could guarantee the scientists are of the highest one though we expect them to do so. The invisible hand, which describes people are free to choose what to buy and what to sold and how the production is made in the capital society, could also affect the scientists as they might believe they are free to invent anything if the market respond positively. A government restriction is the final justice above all these, which is the most powerful one that eventually decide to approval or disapproval certain scientific actions.

When it comes to the realm of environmental issues, restrictions from governments are commonly, if not always necessary. The scientists may not concentrate on clean energy's development instead of the study of how to deplete the oil by the stimulation from the market that people prefer to utilize the oil according to the matter of price. Traditional energies like oil and coal are always cheaper than the geothermal or winds energy. As the government of Norway introduced it plan to cut its CO2 emissions last century, now over 98 percents of electricity in Norway come from clean energies. The government wiped out the motivation from market to scientists by certain legislations. In that regard, it is useless to develop new technology of utilizing coal or oil but that of the clean energies. The government's restrictions in this case actually contribute to the preserve of nature and eventually the human society.

As more some morally disputes that accompany with the latest science, the governments' restrictions always direct the direction as the judges of disputes.
Most nations in the world, Netherlands as an exception, introduce its legislation to ban both the action of clone and assisted suicide. In those countries, scientists no longer focus on the research in related areas but the Dutch scientists are still trying to develop the best method for a human to kill himself, which is ridiculous from the moral perspective. That is to say, the restrictions decide to preserve the social morality in most nations. Those restrictions should be regarded as wise ones from my perspectives.

However, as the governments never stopped restrict the scientific field, problems never stop emerging. Why? In some areas, we have restricted too much while too little in others. The restrictions we are introducing from the governments can either promote the development of society or demote is as well. The Nazi should never restrict Einstein's scientific research in the excuse of ethnic. Thus, the government should not abuse it power to the scientific field. The government restrictions are merely 'the power to maintain or destroy' as Karl Jaspers reckoned, 'as it does not create anything'. In this regard, the governments should always scrutiny of its restrictions and ensure it as a appropriate one.

In sum, there are both benefits and drawbacks associated with the developing of society. Moral standard, 'invisible hand' and government restrictions as a whole is deciding how much science could benefit or deteriorate the society. Restrictions as the most powerful one can control the scientific situation effectively while affect it most dramatically. That is, the existence of certain restrictions should be carefully considered regardless or more or fewer, but the effects that it may bring to the mankind.