Has Science Gone Too Far?

As technology continuously progresses, it brings along controversy and dilemma. People can surely reap the benefits of technology, but also are forced to face the consequences of irresponsible science. This new tech creates new societal questions. At what point has science gone too far? What responsibility do scientists have to keep the general public safe? Both “Worship the Spirit of Criticism” by Louis Pasteur and “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson recognizes and attempts to answer these questions. They both acknowledge the importance of publishing only the most astute and precise research and the consequences that could ensure if scientists are not careful.

First and foremost, to understand the authors’ works, it is essential to recognize
There, he spoke to encourage his colleagues and fellow scientists to continue to do great things. He had very high regard and respect for them, although he offers one piece of advice, and this is to “Worship the spirit of criticism”(Pasteur 4). He further implicated that “without it, everything is fallible”(4). By this, Pasteur is explaining that criticism should be taken in stride. It should be a source of encouragement to do better. Without criticism, every scientific discovery is less credible, and more likely to be false. Pasteur offers counterintuitive, yet helpful advice, which is to “Try and ruin your own experiments and only to proclaim your discovery after having exhausted all contrary hypotheses”(7). Although this seems backwards, upon further inspection it makes a great deal amount of sense. To ensure an outcome is fully correct, one must rule out every single other outcome and account for every possible error. This is the only true way to guarantee a correct result. He further influences his colleagues with his words of wisdom when he says that before scientists can publish their works, they must think of his works and “Ascribe to it the influence which his works may have in this world “(Pasteur 7). Not only must a publishment be correct, it also must be beneficial to society and the Earth. The scientists must think of the whole picture, and not get caught up in one’s own experiment
In her novel, “Silent Spring,” she first illustrates a beautiful town that has birds chirping, an abundance of flowers, fish, farm animals, wildlife, and prosperous farms. Then, the town takes an unforeseen turn. The farm animals became barren while some died, the crops all withered, the streams were ridden of fish, the inhabitants became sick, and the birds who once chirped became silent. Carson then makes an abrupt declaration, “The people had done it themselves”(Carson 8). She believes the humans are completely responsible for what happened to the environment during that dreadful spring. Carson further explains that this town is made up, although it “might easily have a thousand counterparts in America”(9). Essentially, she is saying that this specific scenario is made up, but it is not a false reality and could very possibly be real. This nameless town takes the name of every other American town that has faced one or more of these disasters. She says that “This imagined tragedy may easily become a stark reality we all shall know”(Carson 9). She instills a strong sense of misery and fear in the reader. This is in hopes that the people of Earth will be inspired to or at least be scared enough to want to fix the environment. She recognizes that humans are fully responsible for what has happened to the environment. This was a result of careless science and science that