Scientists always make ridiculous statements they -think- are profound...like "the question is not CAN we...but SHOULD we..." blah blah. Well, if you'd study those "soft" subjects you show so much disdain for, you'd probably have an answer. We keep pretending that anything that doesn't deal with particles of the universe is not a science...and our ignorance is showing with our reckless treatment of technology and our abuse of the environment. These "ethical" questions about pollution, CRISPR and Nuclear technology, etc.; they have answers. Just because the Social Sciences have nuanced, situational, and complicated answers, doesn't mean they aren't valid. Another thing that scientists have to get over is the fact that you can make the "right" decision, and have an undesired outcome. We are always working with imperfect knowledge; obviously that does not mean we can be careless and arbitrary, but sometimes we have to act with the limited knowledge we have. Bottom line, Scientists can't keep pretending Philosophy, Law, History, Ethics, etc. are things they should not have some understanding of. We need to sort out how to organize society, how to make decisions, how to handle dangerous technologies...we must figure out the Science of Civilization before we unleash more dangerous technologies.
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” - Upton Sinclair The truth abo...
If you are reading this, you are probably old enough to have "seen" the end of the Great Barrier Reef. No really, think about it.....