Fear of Science and Technology
Traditionally, most people think of science in form of physics, chemistry, biology. They might also include the social science , anthropology, economics, psychology, and sociology as a branch of science. In truth, within each of these fields have emerged a new subdivision of science which continue emerging at present time and in future rapidly. Science branches are being vaster in every moments of our life; Science has come one of the dominant force in our time. By a glance in our environment, we immediately will notice that every aspect of our life has been touched by science and its leading role in our world. This is the age of revolutionary discovery and technological advancement. From genetic testing, artificial insemination, DNA and finger printing, to almost every aspect in our life, they are all related somehow to science. Many jobs depends on science and its huge related field. Yet, in spite of the necessity of science in our life, what are the reasons that many of us are scared of science and scientists and what causes the fear of science in our society?
Clearly, most of us have some unknown fear toward science. Regarding individual’s apprehension toward science a Nobel Prize professor, Michael Bishop, in his article "Enemies of Promise", has stated: "Resistance to science is born of fear. Fear, in turn, is born by ignorance. And it is ignorance that is our deepest malady" (p241). To prove the importance of science in our daily life and the difficulty that people have with dealing with scientific ideas, he has also mentioned that: "we live in an age of scientific triumph. Science has solved many of nature’s puzzles and greatly enlarged human knowledge. And the fruits of science inquiry have vastly improved human welfare. Yet despite these proud achievements, science today is increasingly mistrusted and under attack"(p243). Sharing Michael Bishop’s view, regarding the importance of science in our life, a question comes to my mind that, why with all our dependency on science and our demand in technological advancements, many of us either reject science, or stay indifferent in seeking the scientific knowledge? I believe that we need to address the question and find all possible reasons.
Apparently, people oppose science for many personal reasons, however, there are two main causes that ordinary people either reject science or stay indifferent toward science. First, some people are hostile to science because science is against their belief or their faith. Second , individuals oppose science as a result of ignorance; they are not able to use technology in their real life. Others are indifferent because they don’t understand technology and application of new tools provided by scientific knowledge. For example, there are individuals who are not familiar with computer technology; They have no knowledge how to use computer in their daily life. Therefore, based on the lack of knowledge ,some individual avoid or...
