Can Scientists be Trusted?Keynote Presentation: What Does Society Need Science For?
From the
Scientists for Global Responsibility Conference and AGM, 2002.
A shorter summary of this presentation and the rest of the conference can be found at
http://www.sgr.org.uk/2002Conf&AGMSummary.htmlProf John Ziman FRS, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Bristol
"Academic science is essentially a moral enterprise, sustained by a tacit ethos of mutual trust. This ethos is being undermined by 'enforced cohabitation' with instrumental research."Prof Ziman tackled the issue of the erosion of trust in science by starting with the question: 'What does society need science for?' He identified two basic categories of science: 'instrumental' and 'non-instrumental'. Instrumental science has 'foreseen' uses - specific goals defined mainly by the governments and corporations which fund it. These lead to technologies and applications which are argued to benefit society (but sometimes don't!)
"Instrumental science undoubtedly provides the world with many novel products, services and capabilities - some humanly beneficial, some horribly anti-social. In most cases it is controlled by the interests that organise and fund it... The goals of research are set by these interests, often regardless of other considerations."Non-instrumental science, on the other hand, is simply driven purely by scientific curiosity. However, it too has an important benefit, in that it helps society understand the world better. Ziman then went on to identify some important attributes of non-instrumental science including being carried out in public, and being self-critical and independent of vested interests.
Historically, Ziman argued, academic science has been non-instrumental, and various safeguards were introduced to ensure its independence and trustworthiness. However, the emphasis in scientific work has undergone a transition which has eroded much non-instrumental work. Academia must now justify itself by having direct practical utility, which in general means being able to be commercially exploited. This has undermined the attributes identified above with a major consequence being that independent scientific advice on, eg, environmental and health issues is lacking.
"As scientific research becomes more expensive and more dependent on public and corporate funding, increasing stress is laid on its direct practical utility. All modes of knowledge production are merging into a 'post-academic' research culture... dominated by instrumental values.
Apart from particle physics and astronomy, university science is now funded primarily for its potential 'impact' and pressured prematurely into material exploitation. Openness and autonomy is being overridden by corporate and bureaucratic imperatives. Independent university expertise on many contested environmental and health issues is running short.""[We should be talking about] not just scientists, but science, for global responsibility. Global responsibility needs non-instrumental science for its
- wide-eyed knowledge and global vision
- realistic perspective on future global needs
- unexpected discoveries with global impact
- reliable framework for assessing global risks
- self-winding scientists to do global research
- impartial experts to advise global institutions"Summing up, Ziman argued that in an era of transition to 'post-academic' science there is no going back, but non-instrumental science is vital to pluralistic democracy and hence we need to find ways to reinstall it within society.
SGR's website at
http://www.sgr.org.uk/This article from the August 2002 SGR Newsletter.