The Value of Science

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1、TheValueofSciencePage1of5TheValueofScienceRichardFeynmanOneofFeynman'smosteloquentpubliclectures.PublishedinWhatDoYouCareWhatOtherPeopleThink?:FurtherAdventuresofaCuriousCharacterbyRichardFeynmanastoldtoRalphLeighton(1988).AlsoavailableinThePleasureofFindingThingsOut:TheBestSh

2、ortWorksofRichardFeynman(1999,pp.141-149).Ofallitsmanyvalues,thegreatestmustbethefreedomtodoubt.Fromtimetotime,peoplesuggesttomethatscientistsoughttogivemoreconsiderationtosocialproblems--especiallythattheyshouldbemoreresponsibleinconsideringtheimpactofscienceuponsociety.Thiss

3、amesuggestionmustbemadetomanyotherscientists,anditseemstobegenerallybelievedthatifthescientistswouldonlylookattheseverydifficultsocialproblemsandnotspendsomuchtimefoolingwiththelessvitalscientificones,greatsuccesswouldcomeofit.Itseemstomethatwedothinkabouttheseproblemsfromtime

4、totime,butwedon'tputfull-timeeffortintothem--thereasonbeingthatweknowwedon'thaveanymagicformulaforsolvingproblems,thatsocialproblemsareverymuchharderthanscientificones,andthatweusuallydon'tgetanywherewhenwedothinkaboutthem.Ibelievethatascientistlookingatnonscientificproblemsis

5、justasdumbasthenextguy--andwhenhetalksaboutanonscientificmatter,hewillsoundasnaiveasanyoneuntrainedinthematter.Sincethequestionofthevalueofscienceisnotascientificsubject,thisdiscussionisdedicatedtoprovingmypoint--byexample.Thefirstwayinwhichscienceisofvalueisfamiliartoeveryone

6、.Itisthatscientificknowledgeenablesustodoallkindsofthingsandtomakeallkindsofthings.Ofcourseifwemakegoodthings,itisnotonlytothecreditofscience;itisalsotothecreditofthemoralchoicewhichledustogoodwork.Scientificknowledgeisanenablingpowertodoeithergoodorbad--butitdoesnotcarryinstr

7、uctionsonhowtouseit.Suchpowerhasevidentvalue--eventhoughthepowermaybenegatedbywhatonedoes.IlearnedawayofexpressingthiscommonhumanproblemonatriptoHonolulu.InaBuddhisttemplethere,themaninchargeexplainedalittlebitabouttheBuddhistreligionfortourists,andthenendedhistalkbytellingthe

8、mhehadsomethingtosaytothemthattheywouldneverforget--andIhaven