Week 4, Discussion Question

Science without social responsibility- how did that happen?

It seems to have happened because of several factors. The first one is simple lack of knowledge. I think it is really easy to find a chemical or a way of doing something that seems so easy and at the same time works so well and not think about how it will affect the environment and human health in 100 years. Realistically, we can never completely know all the side effects a certain technology will have because it is new and because it will have a unique relationship with the world and society. Secondly, I think humans want easy fixes. If it works, let's use it (and not think about the effects). In fact, this seems to be one of the hardest hurdles to jump as we try to move into a greener way of living. Lastly, who wants to take responsibility for anything? Until we all accept that we have all contributed to the mess we have gotten into, it will be really difficult to change things.