Viewpoint

My Dreams for Science

Ayesha Verrall

My dreams for science are my dreams for life.

Since the period referred to as the Enlightenment, science has instigated substantial human advancements. It has doubled our life expectancy, acted as a catalyst for changes in our lifestyle and unlocked the shackles of our superstition. Our lives have been determined by the technology we have available to us; as the steam engine chugged through its first tentative revolution human life began accelerating along the tracks of industrialisation. The effect science has on our experience of the world will continue to grow. Therefore, as this force propels us into the new millennium, it is essential that we question the direction of scientific inquiry. We must ask whether the scientific community is capable of making our dreams a reality.

Already we experience the consequences of technology that has been applied irresponsibly. Our most popular means of transportation at best expels half of New Zealand's CO₂ emissions; at worst acts as steel killing frames for young drivers. We trigger detonations that mutilate our planet and our children, even those yet to be born. And as science changes our environment, we are forced to adapt our lifestyle; we come to accept that our cities will be polluted; we continue our lives under the threat of someone, somewhere, with a finger on a button...

Yet, at its fundamental level, science is a quest for knowledge. The cumulative nature of knowledge demands that scientists constantly push the boundaries of what we accept to be possible, and accept to be true, in order to progress. Science is exploration. Science is regarded as the hallmark of objectivity, the standard against which we make judgements that affect our safety and our lifestyle. Science is precision and yet creativity is a prerequisite. Science is inspiration. Science locates our hair colour on a microscopic helix while condensing our lives to specks of dust at the fringes of a milky disc, hurtling through space. Science is pansophical. Science is a desire to know, to investigate and to explain. Science is curiosity. The momentum of this vital, creative profession is what improves human life; it is in many ways the essence of human nature.

But if science is all this, then why have the last two centuries of industrialisation congested both our arteries and our highways? Why has the development of pain-relief created drug addicts, or the production of coolants and propellants eroded the ozone layer? The answer is that science has often focused on the act of progressing in itself, rather than developing in order to improve the human condition. This, coupled with a lack of foresight where the social effects of technology are concerned, has resulted in people changing their behaviour in response to the demands of technology.

My dream for science is a science with a broader scope, with a vision that is both scientific and social; a science that "invents to improve" human life as its primary objective.

As we develop new communication media such as the World Wide Web we need to take the responsibility of considering who has access to the wealth of information they provide. When we search for new medical techniques we need to know if they are affordable and appropriate for the people that use them. If we continue to recklessly accelerate into our future we must ask what stresses are being placed on our society.

My dreams for science, therefore, include a vision of the shape of the scientific community. I believe that a scientific community which is diverse in terms of the ethnicity and cultural background of its members will ultimately be more successful. When a wide range of values or types of knowledge are represented among scientists then opposing theories are raised more often. As science is often a dialectic process, requiring the testing of theses against antitheses, this diversity assists in progressing to a sound conclusion.

The hazards of an exclusive scientific community can be illustrated by some of the evolutionary theories raised last century. As western science received little input from non-European cultures, Eurocentric evolutionary theories abounded. For example, diagrams of skulls were clearly distorted by western scientists working in sociobiology with the underlying assumption that Europeans are, in evolutionary terms, superior to others. An inclusive scientific community would not only ensure that such errors are quickly corrected, it would also have a wealth of traditional knowledge that may be of use in the future. The example of ancient Japanese sword making techniques being employed today to produce alloys illustrates how an ethnically diverse scientific community can benefit.

These ideas of international collaboration are not new to science. They have, in fact, given rise to one of the most significant breakthroughs in communication technology. The Internet has been developed from a military tool to a new communications medium by multinational scientific groups, especially those involving computer science. While this medium has become most significant to the scientific community, it also has tremendous potential to transform human relationships.

My dream for science is that it will continue to make our lives better, but it will assume the dual roles of creativity and responsibility, of invention and prevention.

It is my dream that Science and Life will be synonymous.

This piece was Highly Commended in the School Science Journalism Contest.

Ayesha Verrall is a seventh form student living in Te Anau and attending Fiordland College. She is involved in distance teaching programs through the Internet.