Should Concern for Man and His Fate Be the Main Priority of Scientific Endeavours?

Man has always been curious about the mechanisms of daily occurrences and natural phenomena, leading to research and experiment which have uncovered the science behind these mysteries. The advent of information technology (IT) has further allowed man to carry out more in-depth research, enabling the world to benefit from new scientific breakthroughs and developments. However, science is like a double-edged sword, giving man the power to do good or have malicious intent. There have been many cases where research and development have crossed the line of morality and results in harm instead of good. This introduces the issue of whether man's future, standard of living, and welfare should be the driving force of scientific experiments and research. The answer should be a resounding yes as the very basis of science is to increase man's understanding of the world and use this knowledge to better lives. Yet, this is not always the case as there are several limitations to achieve such an ideal.

As mentioned, scientific research and development should focus mainly on bettering the lives of people as this is the basis of science. Since time immemorial, man has been improving his standard of living and welfare through the discovery of new things. In the 20^th century, the industrial revolution had a positive world-wide impact, increasing production and benefiting many. Even before this, scientific inventions and technology such as light, the telephone and more have all served the purpose of improving man's future. Countless scientists have dedicated their lives to researching on new vaccines and medical technology to help cure fatal diseases, and all this can definitely be seen as them being motivated by the want and focus of helping mankind. All throughout history, the basis of science can be seen. The very reason that research came about was to increase man's understanding of his surroundings so as to manipulate it in his favour. There have been instances where scientific research has resulted in harmful creations such as the atomic bomb which killed millions and left many scarred til today. Yet, one cannot say that the research behind this invention was driven by the want for destruction as the bomb was meant to create peace. Thus, history has proven that scientific research is driven by the want to improve man's welfare, and it should continue to be that way.

Another reason for the notion that scientific research should be based on concern for man and his future is the destruction that can occur when such research has other priorities, like individual greed. If the main concern of research and development is not the improvement of human welfare, the result could be disastrous. If scientists are more focused on gaining international recognition and fame, they would use all sorts of ways to achieve that status. Some could use illegal means such as human experimentation or underhand ways to create new developments. An example would be Simon Shorvon who tested 127 patients without their knowledge, in search for a cure for Parkinson's disease. The effects that could have scarred and disabled the unknowing patients are scary and one can see why human welfare should always be a top priority. Korean scientist, Hwang Woo-Suk is another famed example of a scientist driven by the want for fame. He faked records and results, tricking the world into believing that he had made stem-cell breakthroughs. From this, it is seen that if research is driven by fame, many would use all sorts of ways to try to achieve it, and in the end, the research would be faked or have harmed people in the process. Also, another driving force of research which ends up harming the world is profit. Many scientists have been guilty of being profit-driven, which has led to a greater income disparity in the world. Several inventions have only benefited the rich, as the rich are wealthy enough to afford such expensive inventions. Scientists powered by their greed for profit, end up developing 'toys' for the rich. The poor end up disadvantaged, deprived of such 'toys', increasing the inequality between them. Hence, scientific experiments and developments should be based on improving overall human welfare, instead of being driven by other priorities such as greed.

Although scientific development and experimentation driven by the concern for man's fate is the basis of science and is also more beneficial, there are instances where this concern has slowed down research, standing in the way of improvement. The worry that Man will be disadvantaged or harmed by science has led to the creation of many ethic groups. These groups often prevent scientific research from crossing the line of morality and recently, the issue on cloning and stem-cell research has been raised. As many feel that Man's welfare is not improved through cloning and stem-cell development, experimentation in these areas are slowed. Ethical groups assert that cloning is against man's morals, and since science is for the good of man, science should not cross into a gray area of morality. Stem-cell research also involves the use of human embryos and this is controversial as groups are protesting, insisting that it is inhuman. However, the medication for Alzheimer's disease is a result of stem-cell research and if such research was not hindered, perhaps more medication and vaccines would be developed. This is an instance where perhaps the concern for man resulted in a hindering of advancement, and thus other priorities should also be taken into consideration during scientific endeavours.

From the above mentioned reasonings, it is seen that scientific journey's main concern should be Man and his fate, although a few instances have proven otherwise. However, there are limitations to the achievement of the ideal situation where science is mainly focused on bettering the world. As scientists are usually funded by large companies and organisations whose goal is to increase profit, they are obliged to make profit-making their top priority. Shareholders in the organisations hold power over the research and development that the scientists undertake, thus scientists are powerless and have to do as the company instructs. This obstructs the achievement of an ideal where scientific development is solely focused on improving human welfare.

In conclusion, science and its developments through experimentation and endeavours by scientists should focus on improving man's welfare and setting the path for a brighter future. If this is not attained, man will be disadvantaged as inventions and scientific technology will not be useful or beneficial to society. Yet, there are obstacles to achieve such an ideal, and one can only hope that as time passes, society will realise the importance of improving overall human welfare and work together to ensure scientific research is for the benefit of the world.