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I'm currently undergoing exams because I got bad blood results and I'm crossing fingers it's not cancer. But I'd like to comment on something in TFA: "I would

I'm currently undergoing exams because I got bad blood results and I'm crossing fingers it's not cancer. But I'd like to comment on something in TFA: "I wouldn't be here without science, and without the work of people who believe in science." As a whole, so far, science seems to be positive for us: longer life expectancy, less painful death, etc. However it's not guaranteed to stay this way. Neuromarketing is also a side-effect of science. Creating food and drinks which create highly dependent people is also a result from science (directly done on rats in labs). So for example one could reasonably say that the number of obese people in the U.S. in the state is directly linked to science: both in the way the product creating these obese people are conceived and marketed. What if an obese people got a bypass allowing him to lose weight or a heart operation saving its life... When the very thing that created this condition in the first place was science. Another example: the epidemiologic test to see if cellphones do cause braincancer or not are being tested right now, on nearly every single citizen. We'll only know for sure the long term health issues (if any) in ten or twenty years. Many people could then have cancer due to science. Sure science can help too, but what if the condition in the first place was due to science? Hiroshima. Fukushima. Tchernobyl. Don't get me wrong: I'm not a luddite and I'm for science. As much of it as possible. Let's open the Pandora box and see what is inside. BUT I fully know too that a lot of our illness (including obesity) are directly linked to science too.

jostmey 14y ago
Cellphones? There is little scientific data to back up your fear of cellphones. Cellphones emit electromagnetic radiation that pass through our bodies like light passes through a window. It is the exact same phenomena. Visible light is nothing but electromagnetic radiation that may pass through silica (glass) and our atmosphere.
enneff 14y ago
This is a silly argument. Science is the pursuit of knowledge. All of the negatives you list could be counteracted by giving those involved more knowledge. I'd bet that scientifically literate people are less susceptible to "neuromarketing". Or, at least, if the general populace were more well-educated they could create legislation to limit the efficacy of such techniques. The nuclear disasters you mention could all have been averted through a better understanding of risk, materials, procedures, and psychology. These are all scientific fields.
- adrianmsmith 14y ago
  "This is a silly argument. Science is the pursuit of knowledge." But the original article said more than that, it says "I wouldn't be here without science", implying science leads to positive outcomes. The comment you're replying to simply adds that science can lead to negative outcomes as well. "The nuclear disasters you mention could all have been averted through a better understanding of..." Not "Hiroshima. Fukushima." And if you mean psychology could be studied more to avert the need to use weapons, psychology is not the same type of science as cancer research. We can't conduct experiments e.g. "how will the leaders of NK react, if..." in the same way we can conduct experiments on cancers.
- PakG1 14y ago
  All of the negatives you list could be counteracted by giving those involved more knowledge. This is a naive argument. Knowledge has no sense of good or bad. It just is. And it can be used for good or bad, depending on who holds it. Whether a corporation sacrificing health of the population in pursuit of profits, a military sacrificing slaughtering innocent members of the enemy in pursuit of victory, or many other things, we have many examples in our world's history where science has been used for bad, sometimes unknowingly and carelessly (or even recklessly), and sometimes knowingly and deliberately.

jostmey 14y ago

Cellphones? There is little scientific data to back up your fear of cellphones. Cellphones emit electromagnetic radiation that pass through our bodies like light passes through a window. It is the exact same phenomena. Visible light is nothing but electromagnetic radiation that may pass through silica (glass) and our atmosphere.

enneff 14y ago

This is a silly argument. Science is the pursuit of knowledge. All of the negatives you list could be counteracted by giving those involved more knowledge. I'd bet that scientifically literate people are less susceptible to "neuromarketing". Or, at least, if the general populace were more well-educated they could create legislation to limit the efficacy of such techniques. The nuclear disasters you mention could all have been averted through a better understanding of risk, materials, procedures, and psychology. These are all scientific fields.

adrianmsmith 14y ago
"This is a silly argument. Science is the pursuit of knowledge." But the original article said more than that, it says "I wouldn't be here without science", implying science leads to positive outcomes. The comment you're replying to simply adds that science can lead to negative outcomes as well. "The nuclear disasters you mention could all have been averted through a better understanding of..." Not "Hiroshima. Fukushima." And if you mean psychology could be studied more to avert the need to use weapons, psychology is not the same type of science as cancer research. We can't conduct experiments e.g. "how will the leaders of NK react, if..." in the same way we can conduct experiments on cancers.
PakG1 14y ago
All of the negatives you list could be counteracted by giving those involved more knowledge. This is a naive argument. Knowledge has no sense of good or bad. It just is. And it can be used for good or bad, depending on who holds it. Whether a corporation sacrificing health of the population in pursuit of profits, a military sacrificing slaughtering innocent members of the enemy in pursuit of victory, or many other things, we have many examples in our world's history where science has been used for bad, sometimes unknowingly and carelessly (or even recklessly), and sometimes knowingly and deliberately.