Science and society

In my view, scientific progress primarily brings about betterment of society by improving the quality of life and providing access to modern healthcare. Though researchers strive to achieve breakthroughs hoping to translate these for public use, they implicitly assume that
society is open to receiving these products of modern science without debate. However, not all inventions how much ever impactful they maybe are welcomed by people. For instance, increasing number of people, though in minority, see vaccinations as deleterious to health without any credible evidence. Thus, the need to communicate science assumes significance. However, the responsibility lies with those who best understand it.

On the other hand, the leaps that modern science makes, especially medicine, imply that scientists are at the edge of what society perceives as ethical and moral. However, resolving moral issues (for instance in animal testing) and redefining ethics (say in genetics) cannot be a unilateral domain of either. This highlights the need for a constructive dialogue between science and society. However, the onus is on the scientists to initiate these discussions.

As researchers, we endeavour to push the boundaries of human conquest, but we also need to ensure that the full impact of science is realized. We should be keen to engage in a conversation with people to ensure that science is communicated accurately, thus enabling society to steer us around ethical issues. When researchers and people work together, society can reap the compounding benefits.