- #1
garytse86
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We owe all our prosperity to science, what do you think about this topic?
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We owe all our prosperity to science
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the relationship between science and prosperity, exploring how scientific advancements contribute to economic well-being and societal progress. Participants examine historical contexts, the role of governance, and the implementation of scientific knowledge in various regions and professions.
Discussion Character
- Debate/contested
- Conceptual clarification
- Exploratory
Main Points Raised
- Some participants assert that prosperity is fundamentally linked to scientific advancements, while others question the historical and contextual factors that influence this relationship.
- One participant raises the issue of why certain civilizations, such as the Aztecs or Harappans, did not produce figures comparable to Newton or Darwin, suggesting that external factors may have inhibited scientific progress.
- Concerns are expressed about the application of scientific knowledge in fields like medicine, where some doctors may rely on outdated information rather than current research.
- The ethical implications of scientific discoveries, such as the atomic bomb, are discussed, with some participants reflecting on the dual nature of scientific inquiry and its consequences.
- There is a suggestion that governance and economic systems play a crucial role in facilitating or hindering prosperity, potentially more so than science alone.
- Historical factors, such as exploitation and climate conditions, are mentioned as influencing the development of scientific knowledge in different regions.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express a range of views on the relationship between science and prosperity, with no clear consensus reached. Some emphasize the importance of governance and historical context, while others focus on the role of scientific advancements themselves.
Contextual Notes
Participants highlight various limitations, including the dependence on historical context, the impact of governance on scientific progress, and the challenges in disseminating current scientific knowledge to practitioners in fields like medicine.
- #2
Nereid
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But what facilitated the work of the scientists? For example, why wasn't there an Aztec Newton? or a Harappa Darwin?
And how about the implementation of science? It's not for lack of scientific knowledge that a Benin cotton farmer can't compete on world markets (and so become prosperous). An unemployed engineer in Belarus isn't prosperous, but that's not because his high school science education was worse than his counterpart in Boston.
- #3
Monique
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What I worry about is the feedback of basic sciences to the industry/companies and to the doctors office.
Way to many doctors don't read up on scientific literature, but rather look up information is those year old books of them.
Way to many doctors don't read up on scientific literature, but rather look up information is those year old books of them.
- #4
garytse86
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What about the atomic bomb? If scientists did not discover the relationship between mass and nuclear energy, would there have been so many deaths? But personally, I do not think we can help it because it is the human nature really, to always want to find out the ultimate questions of the universe.
- #5
Nereid
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What about the discovery of bacteria, and thus the basis for effective public health policies and antibiotics (these have increased the lifespan of far, far more people than were killed by atomic weapons)?
If it's human nature, why weren't the sorts of scientific discoveries that were made in Europe, from Newton's time onward (say), not made centuries earlier in China? Or Greece?
[ edit ] centuries earlier in what is today Peru?
or centuries earlier in what is today Pakistan/India? [ end edit; original was ambiguous
]
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- #6
Monique
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Human nature :), India definitely has some nice research facilities, but India was exploited in the past which threw the country back. It is all about how a nation is run, how much money is available.
The Greek has some nice inventors too, btw, in the past.
The climate in Europe would also be a factor: creation of leasure time if your stomach is full and don't have to worry about the absence of rains during summer.
The Greek has some nice inventors too, btw, in the past.
The climate in Europe would also be a factor: creation of leasure time if your stomach is full and don't have to worry about the absence of rains during summer.
- #7
zoobyshoe
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"Prosperity: the condition of being successful or thriving;esp: economic well-being
Hm. While its true that science has made it possible to spread prosperity farther than it could be in the past, I think it might be more on the mark to attribute prosperity to forms of government that encourage it, rather than neglect it, or discourage it.
- #8
zoobyshoe
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I'm curious to know how you knew this.I don't think the average person realizes how far behind current research their doctors probably are. There doesn't seem to be any system set up for making sure doctors are keeping up with things, or for making sure important new information is diseminated to doctors.
- #9
pace
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Difficult question. Yes, science plays a rather large part imho.