What If We Stopped Doing Science?

WHAT IF

Is it plausible to think we may one day get to a point where scientific exploration is no longer worth it?

Transcript

00:00 Science.

00:07 It's saved billions of lives,

00:09 allowed us to discover new worlds,

00:11 and helped the world's civilizations

00:13 to grow exponentially.

00:15 But it's also come with some severe consequences.

00:18 Weapons of mass destruction,

00:20 unethical experiments,

00:21 and an unfolding environmental catastrophe

00:23 are all results of scientific discovery.

00:27 With all those risks in mind,

00:28 is it plausible to think that we may one day get to a point

00:32 where scientific exploration is no longer worth it?

00:36 Is it prudent to continue spending resources

00:38 on discovering the unknown,

00:40 when we can't even afford to fix the problems

00:42 we already know about?

00:44 This is WHAT IF,

00:46 and here's what would happen

00:47 if we stopped doing science.

00:51 Yes, we're quite aware that this question is pretty fantastic,

00:55 even by our standards.

00:57 But sometimes you have to consider the ridiculous

01:00 in order to expose real-life revelations.

01:04 For centuries, humanity has moved itself forward

01:07 by feeding its scientific curiosity,

01:09 rarely stopping to consider the ramifications.

01:12 Like, do the positives outweigh the negatives?

01:16 To really get people talking,

01:17 let's start with a little segment

01:18 I like to call the pros and cons of science.

01:22 On the one hand, science is great

01:23 because it helps develop technology

01:25 to solve our everyday problems.

01:27 It addresses societal issues,

01:30 it informs policymaking,

01:32 and it explains natural phenomena.

01:35 But it also has a negative side.

01:37 For one thing, it's really expensive.

01:40 It can harm the environment,

01:42 its methods and products can be harmful to humans

01:44 and other living things,

01:47 and it can lead to destructive technologies.

01:52 With those kinds of issues in mind,

01:54 the magazine New Scientist

01:55 brought together a few different opinions

01:57 on whether or not we should stop "doing" science.

02:01 One philosopher from the City University of New York says

02:04 that scientific research should only continue

02:07 in the field of applied sciences,

02:08 like medical research,

02:10 that can result in social benefit.

02:12 But scientists from the University of Leicester

02:15 say that it's not that simple.

02:17 History has proven time and time again

02:19 that we should continue exploring all of life's mysteries,

02:22 because you never know where the next practical application

02:25 will come from.

02:27 And even if we did want to stop doing science,

02:29 it would be nearly impossible.

02:31 We wouldn't be able to stop all scientific research at once.

02:35 There would have to be a gradual scaling back.

02:37 So who would choose what areas of study to scale back first?

02:41 Any selective scaling back

02:43 would seem to open the process up

02:44 to potentially disastrous political tampering.

02:48 And it'd be incredibly difficult

02:50 to get all the nations of the world

02:52 to agree to stop their science programs

02:54 and stay true to their word.

02:56 On top of that,

02:57 if we were able to stop doing science,

02:59 we'd all have to accept the bleak reality

03:01 that our society would pretty much never progress any further.

03:05 No more new medicines,

03:07 new smartphones,

03:08 we'd never know any more about the Universe

03:10 or the oceans surrounding us,

03:12 and we probably wouldn't be able to perfect

03:14 the alternative energy sources necessary to save our planet.

03:18 With all that considered,

03:19 it seems pretty safe to say

03:20 that we should never stop doing science.

03:23 But that doesn't mean we can't improve how we do it.

03:26 To minimize the negative side effects of scientific discovery,

03:29 a science policy researcher at the University of Sussex

03:32 put forth three guiding principles.

03:35 They say that not only should every decision

03:37 be made with responsibility and precaution,

03:40 but also with the participation of the public.

03:43 Ordinary people should have a say

03:45 in the technologies we pursue,

03:47 the innovations we support,

03:48 and the sciences we prioritize.

03:51 What do you think?

03:52 How do we make sure science is never doing more harm than good?

03:57 Maybe one day,

03:58 we can move all our dangerous experiments to distant planets.

04:02 But that's a topic for another WHAT IF.

04:05 ♪ ♪

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