There is not much that even the most socially responsible scientists can do as individuals, or even as a group, about the social consequences of their activities.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Others think it the responsibility of scientists to coerce the rest of society, because they have the power that derives from special knowledge.
Individual scientists cannot do much on their own. Heads of nations, corporates, and economic giants should recognise the criticality of it.
It seems that this situation is not restricted to science but is more generally human.
Though neglectful of their responsibility to protect science, scientists are increasingly aware of their responsibility to society.
At a time when science plays such a powerful role in the life of society, when the destiny of the whole of mankind may hinge on the results of scientific research, it is incumbent on all scientists to be fully conscious of that role, and conduct themselves accordingly.
Scientists are not delinquents. Our work has changed the conditions in which men live, but the use made of these changes is the problem of governments, not of scientists.
The social sciences offer equal promise for improving human welfare; our lives can be greatly improved through a deeper understanding of individual and collective behavior. But to realize this promise, the social sciences, like the natural sciences, need to match their institutional structures to today's intellectual challenges.
Many science people feel groups like WHO are there to do a job and not to be dealt with in a political way.
Admittedly, the body of scientists, as a whole, does uphold the authority of science over the lay public. It controls thereby also the process by which young men are trained to become members of the scientific profession.
Scientists tend to be unappreciated in the world at large, but you can hardly overstate the importance of the work they do.
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