In article <6arb6r$pc5 at tali.UCHSC.edu>, Guy.Oshiro at UCHSC.edu (Guy Oshiro) wrote:
> Dear scientists,
>> Is Science a moral endeavor?
Interesting question. Can a profession (or endeavor) be moral, or only its
individual practitioners? Compare law, journalism, donut making.... are
these moral or immoral professions?
For example: Some people consider the atomic bomb to be one of the most
immoral things scientists ever accomplished. However, many of the key
players in the Manhattan Project were Jewish emigres from Europe who were
personally familiar with Hitler's atrocities and felt a moral obligation to
help the US government beat Germany to the bomb. So who's to judge?
> Part of the reason that I got into science was because I wanted to be
> involved in something that would help humanity. I really wanted to
> help find a cure to diseases such as cancer and arthritis. I wanted to
> make a difference. I felt that biomedical research was the best way to
> achieve these aims.
> Now, I find myself starting to question both my reasoning and my
> sanity.
You're a grad student. We're all questioning your sanity :-)
> I am currently working on my Ph.D. studying cell cycle regulation in
> yeast. This is a far cry from my goal of helping humanity but I think
> this basic research work is important because it will give us a clue on
> how things work.
Feeling "useful" can be just as rewarding as feeling "moral". I like to
apply what I call the Grandmother Test: Would my grandmother be proud of
what I am doing?
> I guess my main question is this -- why do scientists do what they do?
Mostly because it is fun, interesting, satisfying... i.e. "selfish"
reasons. Also, to be able to create something that will survive after we
are gone.
> don't get me wrong, I love being a scientist. I love the act of
> discovery and the ability to figure out a research question. But when
> you do that at the expense of all else - I begin to question the
> reasons. Do you do it because you love doing it or because you believe
> that you are doing it for the good of humanity?
"For the good of humanity" is a stretch, but I don't work in a biological
field so there is less temptation to think of it in those terms. Being
useful, and/or producing something of lasting value for the people who are
paying your salary -- those should be sufficient.
Thinking of it another way, there are a million ways to help people. If
you are concerned about AIDS, for example, you could get a Ph.D. in
virology to study the disease itself and look for cures, or you could join
a humanitarian mission to get antibiotics to third world countries to help
slow down the transmission of HIV, or you could start a program to teach
sexual abstinence to teenagers in the US. I think the "moral" career
choice would be whichever tactic makes best use of your abilities. Lots of
people would be frustrated by trying to do good via a science career
because the progress is so slow.
> The sad thing is that humanity really does not know what scientists do.
> they are definitely not rewarded financially. there seems to be very
> little job security in this field. So do people stay in science
> because they have a moral conviction of what they are doing? Or are
> they just too afraid to consider an alternative career. I guess in the
> end - everything boils down to just being a job. The fantasy of saving
> the world is destroyed by the dream of leading a normal life with a
> wife, 2 kids and a dog and the reality that it takes money to do these
> things.
Nobody can "save the world". We can all contribute something, though. You
can have your wife, 2 kids and a dog, and if you feel dissatisfied with the
contribution you are making via your career, then spend some time on
something that makes you feel better about yourself. Volunteer to walk
dogs at the pound, read books to children in homeless shelters, pick up
trash along the highway. Heck, even raising 2 good kids seems like a
worthwhile act these days!
Your life need not be a monument to be "moral".
Now relax, it's Friday afternoon. Have a beer and stop thinking about your
thesis.
Becky
