November 6, 2024

Battle Between Science and Societal Norms

In The Scientific Revolution by Steven Shapin there is the argument that there is not one event in the period between the 16th and 18th century that we can characterize as the “Scientific Revolution”. Rather this time period was a period filled with innovation and discovery, changing our ways of thinking about the natural world. One of the largest changes that we see in shift from the Aristotelian tradition which becomes replaced by “modern science”. Throughout the evolution of science there leads to a change in previous perceptions about the universe and a battle with societal norms.

Galileo’s advances in astronomy and science led to his demise and persecution by the Catholic Church. Galileo used the telescope to see new stars and imperfections in the moon which went against the Aristotelian system and the previously held belief that the earth was the center of the universe. Despite his theory about a heliocentric universe being scientifically accurate this went against the holy scripture and thus contradicted the religious values of the time. Today, though, we accept the notion that the earth orbits the sun and that the sun is the center of the universe.

In today’s society we see that the theory of evolution is changing the fundamental belief that God created Man as stated in the Holy Bible. Greater advances in the field of Biology continue to show through analyzing DNA and cells that there is a common ancestry between all living organisms, and specifically between humans and primates. This changes the fundamental way that our society views the ancestry of humans and takes away some of our belief in the notion of God or divine influence.

Other advances in science including Elon Musk’s development of “Neuralink” question if the human body can be “upgraded” and if society will allow such a development. Neuralink is a chip inserted into the brain and future applications include the ability to download and replay memory as well as other brain enhancements. Such advancements truly break what society deems as “humanely” possible for our body. But should the progression of this science be stopped? Can it be? Such advancements in contemporary science truly break societal norms and what we feel is natural to do with our bodies.

In the research that I do at Colby in the Organic Chemistry lab we aim to develop new compounds through reacting various compounds and chemicals with each other, aiming to further understand an element or compounds reactivity. Being able to develop new chemical compounds changes the way that we view how reactions are able to occur. The field of science is dependent on the breaking of what we deem as the status quo in search of new discovery. Many scientists have been persecuted for their advancements in the field such as Galileo, but the field of science demands a change to what we view as “normal”.

Scientific advancement for the greater understanding of our universe must be allowed to occur. Though science may lead to ground breaking discoveries in which the way we view our world is changed we cannot stop these discoveries from being made on the grounds of societal norms being broken. If Galileo had not challenged the Catholic Church then we still would not come to know that the earth is not the center of the universe. Science demands that we challenge the societal norms for further advancement and understanding of our world.

Sources:

  1. https://www.cnet.com/news/elon-musk-shows-neuralink-brain-implant-working-in-a-pig/
  2. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-evolution-doesnt-proceed-straight-line.html

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