The Nature and Place of Science in the World - Essay Example

The nature and place of science in our world have long been a topic of the most heated and vehement debate in many levels of society. People have myriad ways of understanding and thinking about science: to some, it is a golden child which will bring truth and beauty into the world, to others, it creates devilish monstrosities which should not even be considered, and to some, it is neither of these things, but simply a tool and a way of understanding the universe.

The last group would say that science is “value-neutral” that it is neither good nor bad, but neutral in its inherent ethics. The last group is correct for several reasons, but a discussion of one particular aspect of science, its ability to enhance human abilities, can demonstrate very clearly that science is certainly value-neutral. Science, at its most elemental and basic form, is simply a way of understanding the universe. It is the belief that the universe is governed by rational laws, and that through careful experimentation we can observe them.

The problem, however, is that science is not simply about understanding, because each new breakthrough of understanding can also lead to a practical breakthrough that affects how we live our lives. These effects are one of the major reasons people ascribe value to science. One of the main sticking points many people have with science is that it allows humans to “play God” (Stevenson, Byerly 20). In other words, science allows humans to far surpass our natural abilities and do things we could never have dreamt of previously.

Depending on one’s point of view, this could be anything from a very bad to a very, very good thing. To some, the idea of humans having the ability to far surpass our natural abilities is terrifying. They believe that humans are inherently limited creatures and that as we lack a perfect understanding of the universe, it can only be damaging for us to have the ability to do amazing things; we have a natural place in the world, should understand and accept its limitations.