The march of science and the erosion of human values

Recently, Chinese scientists created the world’s first genetically altered baby, or in popular parlance, a designer baby. The move drew widespread criticism from various quarters – were we playing god to the implications of the move? However, the big fact which emerged was the collective deterioration of our ethical values – were there to be no checks or guidance to the inevitable march of progress?

Science does not work in a vacuum; ultimately, it works in a society. Therefore, for science to serve human ends, it should ideally conform to human values. However, as the essay will examine, the march of science has, in fact, led to their erosion and mutation. It will also examine how we can better factor in these values and societal aspirations in tempering the progress of science.

THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF PROGRESS

To be sure, science has changed our lives for the better – we enjoy many benefits which could have been unimaginable a few years ago. Today, I can check in at 18,000 ft on an application that lets me communicate with millions of people flying at speeds of 900 km/h, while enjoying a coffee. However, it has led to certain adverse consequences for our moral values.

On an individual level, technology today has made us more selfish, vain, consumerist, and materialist. The rise of social media is both symptomatic and causative of this trend. We value our worth in terms of likes and shares. We are more connected today than ever before in the history of mankind – yet more disconnected than ever before. We have forgotten how to form human relationships based on trust, love, closeness, and bonding – instead, we search for the virtual high of likes.

The most tangible outcome of the alienation that we face today due to technology is the increased number of suicides. These represent a breakdown of human values. The heightened privacy violations, use of big data to derive profits, revenge porn, and human beings themselves being turned into commodities (in terms of their data) all represent a sliding of human values. While life has been more convenient, it has also led to a sliding of the value of hard work.

It has affected us on a societal level too. We have forgotten the cherished values of tolerance and respect for others. Today, because of echo chambers – thanks to scientific advancements in data analysis and targeting – we have increasingly polarized and bitterly divided societies. While blind faith had led us to the dark ages, today our scientific traditions, rooted in opposition to religion, have antithetically so as Albert Einstein observed “Religion without science is blind and science without religion is lame,” we must not allow unguided men to control guided missiles. We must allow spirituality to temper scientific progress. Without such tempering – the effects of scientific advance are treacherous.

Our planet faces climate change due to the unabated use of natural resources aided by technology. We face nuclear war with one small misstep – resulting in the obliteration of all of humanity as we know it. Computers have resulted in cybercrime and cyber warfare – with potentially devastating consequences for humanity. Our advancements in space technology have opened up a new frontier of warfare in outer space. If these technologies had been working within a framework of human values like the common good, mutual respect, and promotion of peace – the outcome may very well have been different.

AN OMINOUS FUTURE

Today we are on the cusp of path-breaking and revolutionary technologies. Whether these would lead to further erosion of our values or be controlled by them would determine the future of humankind. Artificial Intelligence has profound implications for the economy, society, and politics of our world. It has the potential to overcome the physical limitations of capital & labor. Thus, whether it leads to unemployment, employment in warfare, surveillance, or would it lead to a better life for all – would depend upon our value framework. Biotechnology can redefine what it means to be human through playing with our genes – we can turn into superhumans. Whether it would lead to Biological inequality or freedom from disease would depend on the guidance of our scientists & societies.

These examples serve to highlight the importance values play – and what their further erosion could entail. If the post is anything to go we face a dark future indeed – for our very humanity would be at stake this time. These technologies would question what it means to be human. However, all is not dark and gloomy; we can and have preserved our values from the onslaught of technology.

VALUES FOR AN INCLUSIVE FUTURE

The scientists of tomorrow must not only be trained in physical sciences but in social sciences as well. To transform our society, we must transform our education system. There should be a focus on value education in school-level education. Thus, Rationality – Tolerance should be taught, and the objectivity of compassion should be inculcated in our young minds. At the higher education stage – education must, as an imperative, be made multi-disciplinary. Only then can we properly assess the legal, societal, economic, psychological, and cultural impacts of technology. We must take into account the ‘impact’ that a technology has in order to align it with our values.

We as a society also have some soul-searching to do – to what we value. Do we value profits over public health? Do we value comfort over the adverse impact on the planet? The answer to these questions will determine important questions regarding scientific progress. Finally, our focus should be on ‘science for all’ – one that empowers rather than dehumanizes us. Grassroots level innovations which help make people’s lives better and more fulfilling should be the guiding principle of science. “To exclude values from science is ultimately to do a disservice to both.”