EFFECTS OF SCIENCE
Responsibility Disclaimed (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) MONTREAL, Dec. 28. Lord Brain, the British neurologist, said yesterday that scientists should not be condemned for the applications of their discoveries by society. “Scientists are often in no position to foresee the consequences of their discoveries,” he told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Montreal.
“Nor should they as scientists be held responsible for decisions which are the responsibility of society as a whole.”
The “present population crisis” was an example of society’s failure to foresee the consequences of scientific progress in saving and preserving life, he said.
“Scientists are sometimes represented as seeking to impose their ideas on society,” Lord Brain said, “but on the whole they arc probably too reluctant to try to influence society.”
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Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30635, 29 December 1964, Page 10
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131EFFECTS OF SCIENCE Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30635, 29 December 1964, Page 10
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