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What If We Stopped Doing Science?
WHAT IF
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2/12/2024
Is it plausible to think we may one day get to a point where scientific exploration is no longer worth it?
Category
📺
TV
Transcript
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00:00
Science.
00:07
It's saved billions of lives,
00:09
allowed us to discover new worlds,
00:11
and helped the world's civilizations
00:13
to grow exponentially.
00:15
But it's also come with some severe consequences.
00:18
Weapons of mass destruction,
00:20
unethical experiments,
00:21
and an unfolding environmental catastrophe
00:23
are all results of scientific discovery.
00:27
With all those risks in mind,
00:28
is it plausible to think that we may one day get to a point
00:32
where scientific exploration is no longer worth it?
00:36
Is it prudent to continue spending resources
00:38
on discovering the unknown,
00:40
when we can't even afford to fix the problems
00:42
we already know about?
00:44
This is WHAT IF,
00:46
and here's what would happen
00:47
if we stopped doing science.
00:51
Yes, we're quite aware that this question is pretty fantastic,
00:55
even by our standards.
00:57
But sometimes you have to consider the ridiculous
01:00
in order to expose real-life revelations.
01:04
For centuries, humanity has moved itself forward
01:07
by feeding its scientific curiosity,
01:09
rarely stopping to consider the ramifications.
01:12
Like, do the positives outweigh the negatives?
01:16
To really get people talking,
01:17
let's start with a little segment
01:18
I like to call the pros and cons of science.
01:22
On the one hand, science is great
01:23
because it helps develop technology
01:25
to solve our everyday problems.
01:27
It addresses societal issues,
01:30
it informs policymaking,
01:32
and it explains natural phenomena.
01:35
But it also has a negative side.
01:37
For one thing, it's really expensive.
01:40
It can harm the environment,
01:42
its methods and products can be harmful to humans
01:44
and other living things,
01:47
and it can lead to destructive technologies.
01:52
With those kinds of issues in mind,
01:54
the magazine New Scientist
01:55
brought together a few different opinions
01:57
on whether or not we should stop "doing" science.
02:01
One philosopher from the City University of New York says
02:04
that scientific research should only continue
02:07
in the field of applied sciences,
02:08
like medical research,
02:10
that can result in social benefit.
02:12
But scientists from the University of Leicester
02:15
say that it's not that simple.
02:17
History has proven time and time again
02:19
that we should continue exploring all of life's mysteries,
02:22
because you never know where the next practical application
02:25
will come from.
02:27
And even if we did want to stop doing science,
02:29
it would be nearly impossible.
02:31
We wouldn't be able to stop all scientific research at once.
02:35
There would have to be a gradual scaling back.
02:37
So who would choose what areas of study to scale back first?
02:41
Any selective scaling back
02:43
would seem to open the process up
02:44
to potentially disastrous political tampering.
02:48
And it'd be incredibly difficult
02:50
to get all the nations of the world
02:52
to agree to stop their science programs
02:54
and stay true to their word.
02:56
On top of that,
02:57
if we were able to stop doing science,
02:59
we'd all have to accept the bleak reality
03:01
that our society would pretty much never progress any further.
03:05
No more new medicines,
03:07
new smartphones,
03:08
we'd never know any more about the Universe
03:10
or the oceans surrounding us,
03:12
and we probably wouldn't be able to perfect
03:14
the alternative energy sources necessary to save our planet.
03:18
With all that considered,
03:19
it seems pretty safe to say
03:20
that we should never stop doing science.
03:23
But that doesn't mean we can't improve how we do it.
03:26
To minimize the negative side effects of scientific discovery,
03:29
a science policy researcher at the University of Sussex
03:32
put forth three guiding principles.
03:35
They say that not only should every decision
03:37
be made with responsibility and precaution,
03:40
but also with the participation of the public.
03:43
Ordinary people should have a say
03:45
in the technologies we pursue,
03:47
the innovations we support,
03:48
and the sciences we prioritize.
03:51
What do you think?
03:52
How do we make sure science is never doing more harm than good?
03:57
Maybe one day,
03:58
we can move all our dangerous experiments to distant planets.
04:02
But that's a topic for another WHAT IF.
04:05
♪ ♪
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