Science and technology play an increasingly important role in society. Advances in areas like engineering, medicine, and computing have transformed how humans live and interact. However, there are complex social implications related to the growth of science and technology that merit reflection.
The growing role of science and technology
Science and technology refer to the study and development of applied knowledge regarding the natural and physical world. Some key disciplines include biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, medicine, and engineering.
In the past several centuries, breakthroughs in these fields have dramatically expanded human capability and progress. Developments like the germ theory of disease, electricity, modern manufacturing, computing, and the mapping of the human genome have fundamentally changed how humans relate to their environment.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), expenditures on research and development have risen from $522 billion in 1996 to over $2 trillion in 2019 across the world. High-income countries dedicate around 2.5% of GDP to research and development. This investment has led to groundbreaking innovations, new industries, and economic growth.
Given the expertise and resources devoted to scientific discovery, technology seems poised to continue transforming human life. Emerging fields like nanotechnology, renewable energy, machine learning, and genetics hold promising applications for medicine, communication, transportation, agriculture, and beyond. Per the National Science Board’s 2020 Science & Engineering Indicators report, the global scientific enterprise continues expanding as more countries invest in education and technical infrastructure.
Improved quality of life
Many argue that science and technology have greatly improved human welfare. Average global life expectancy rose from 31 years in 1900 to over 71 years by 2017 according to Our World in Data. The mitigation and potential eradication of diseases like smallpox and polio can be attributed to vaccines and modern medicine. Standards of living have also increased substantially. For instance, the percentage of households in developed countries with electricity rose from under 10% in 1920 to close to 100% by 2010 per the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Other areas where quality of life has benefited from science and technology include:
- Food production: Agricultural yields have expanded dramatically thanks to pesticides, machinery, irrigation, storage techniques, and genetically-modified crops. This has reduced hunger and malnutrition globally despite population growth.
- Communication and information: The internet, smartphones, and communication satellites have connected billions worldwide through instant information sharing.
- Transportation: Automobiles, trains, and airplanes powered by the internal combustion engine have facilitated mobility and trade across distances impossible earlier.
- Entertainment: Radio, television, the recording industry, computers, and internet have exposed people to more recreation options.
- Energy: Oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear reactors, and renewables have provided abundant power to support industry, infrastructure, and households.
With more technological diffusion, quality of life may continue improving substantively for more populations worldwide.
Risks and ethical concerns
However, numerous risks and ethical issues related to scientific advancement also generate controversy.
Development of weapons for violence and war tops the list of concerns. These include nuclear/biological/chemical weapons along with delivery systems like long-range missiles. Historical accidents and close calls with nuclear weapons underscore their danger. There are also worries that autonomous robotic weapons could unchecked.
Various modern technologies receive criticism for negative health and environmental impacts:
- Pollution: Industrial chemicals, fossil fuel emissions, and plastic waste harm ecosystems.
- Resource depletion: Mining, forestry, fossil fuel extraction, and intensive agriculture strain global resources.
- Climate change: Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane from human activity raise temperatures, affecting weather patterns and habitats.
Additionally, the economic shifts spurred by technology cause workforce displacements. Jobs lost to automation and globalization spur unemployment and inequality per groups like the World Economic Forum.
There are also apprehensions that technology enables surveillance states and centralized control, undermining privacy and autonomy. Others contend that social media and modern marketing techniques manipulate behavior.
Various ethical issues emerge regarding the appropriate use of science. These include acceptable research on humans and animals, conflicts of interest in companies funding studies impacting their profits, and exercising caution regarding powerful emerging technologies like human gene editing.
Balancing progress and responsibility
There are no definitive solutions for maximizing the benefits of science and technology while minimizing harm. However, many expert analyses stress the need for ethical responsibility and proper risk assessment regarding innovation.
The United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development advocates for “science for peace,” arguing that sustainability should be an integral consideration during technological development. It also calls upon the scientific community to foster greater engagement with the public regarding the societal impacts of their work.
Similarly, the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy released guidelines arguing that scientists have a duty to explain both the promises and perils of cutting-edge research areas so as to inform policy decisions. It contends oversight processes should continually reassess potential downsides as a core principle.
Ideas scientists propose for self-regulation include resisting pressures to publish premature research, requiring ethics training, and recusing oneself from studies where objectivity might be compromised. There is also growth in interdisciplinary fields like machine ethics and techno-sociology to formally study issues at the intersection of innovation and society.
In general, most experts argue the solution lies less in restricting science, but rather ensuring consideration of social impacts, ethics, and security run parallel to discovery as core principles binding researchers and institutions. This balanced approach can best secure the benefits of science and technology for human prosperity while steering innovation toward the collective good.