Science, as an entire discipline, can be observably altered by social constructs. Forms of government are one example of this. The type of government that a country employs or even the socio-economic state of a country can have a massive impact on the scientific community. In the United States, we can explore how our democratic policies have impacted and shaped scientific achievement. Democracy is often seen as a righteous form of government in the modern age, superior to outdated forms of government like monarchies and oligarchies. However, despite good democratic intentions, the utilization of science in the US has often come into question.
There are many negative examples of the utilization of science under democracy, but democracy often promotes positive uses for scientific research and technological development. In more recent years, the federal government has greatly increased funding for stem research, especially in areas concerning health and well being and quality of living. The many grants available to public academic institutions and research laboratories has undoubtedly been a positive change for the American people, and democratic policy has certainly played a major role. While our democratic processes for approving funding and allocating resources can oftentimes be clunky and time-consuming, more often than not our government is able to open doors for scientific advancement for the benefit of the majority of Americans. Our democracy has also allowed for private research institutions and laboratories to flourish as well, which only adds to the variety and importance of scientific research.
While democracy, in theory, is set up to promote scientific discovery for the benefit of all citizens it often falls short of its goals. One of the main reasons for this has to do with Beauricratric obstacles and controlling interest groups. While the United States is a Democratic nation on paper actual political business often functions like an Oligarchy. Special interest groups, PACs, and Super PACs use their wealth and influence for their own benefit, which often bleeds into the political arena. The immense wealth these groups have gives them vast influence over the government, which in turn often results in governmental policy that favors for-profit scientific research instead of research that directly benefits citizens of the united states. For example, crude oil and natural gas PACs have used their influence to secure funding for resource research, pipelines, and deepwater rigging. Oftentimes research opportunities for environmentally friendly fuel options are put on the back burner because there is simply very little profit to be made. This will never be a good policy for the American people in the long run. As we are well aware we have a finite amount of natural fuel resources on Earth; one day they will eventually be depleted. At the same time, promising breakthroughs in renewable energy are being made every day, yet we still allow oil and natural gas to control, not only our scientific community domestically, but also our foreign policy abroad. One of my favorite examples of this has to do with electric vehicles. Humans have had access to some form of batteries since the 1800s yet our vehicles have been powered by fossil fuels from the offset. Only recently have battery-powered electric vehicles been able to force their way into the American economy. This technology is relatively new, and many people still prefer gas and diesel-powered vehicles. Imagine if we had employed batteries and electric engines in cars from the beginning. Our transportation technology would most likely be light years ahead of where it is now, and our environment would undoubtedly be noticeably healthier. Unfortunately, the power of oil and coal, and the influence of special interest groups capped our technological advancement and killed innovation for years.
Democracy is often touted as the best form of government because it gives power to the people. The benefits of this in regards to science and technology mean that people can directly impact research and innovation. However, so much power in the hands of the public is also one of the downfalls of democracy. If the wrong people get enough support they can bend public policy to their will. In the U.S. we’ve let interest groups and major corporations dictate scientific research and technological innovation, instead of supporting what’s best for all people.