In this blog post, we will examine the various problems brought about by advances in science and technology and explore the social and ethical approaches needed to address them.
Since the Industrial Revolution began in the mid-18th century and science and technology have advanced, human life has changed at the fastest pace since the dawn of civilization. In particular, the 20th century marked a new turning point with the emergence of modern physics, established by Albert Einstein (Albert Einstein, 1879–1955), and the advancements in communications and transportation technologies—along with the mass production systems that utilized these technologies—have transformed our lives in ways that are incomparable to the past. Furthermore, when Neil Armstrong (1930–2012) of the United States became the first human to land on the Moon in 1969, he demonstrated that human activity could extend beyond Earth into space. Since then, the rapid advancement of computers and information and communication technology has transformed society from an industry-centered one to an information- and knowledge-centered one; today, digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and cloud computing are driving change across all sectors of society. In this way, human life has evolved in close connection with the development of science and technology. However, the advancement of science and technology has not always yielded only positive results. On the contrary, criticism that science and technology are making human life more difficult has been consistently raised, and concerns about their adverse effects continue to grow.
Some of this criticism tends to place excessive blame for social problems on science and technology. However, it is hard to deny that as science and technology have advanced, bringing significant improvements in the convenience of daily life, new problems have also emerged. Notably, climate change and environmental pollution have become major issues threatening human survival, and new social problems such as privacy violations, ethical issues surrounding artificial intelligence, and the digital divide are also emerging. So, how should we best address the various problems arising from the advancement of modern science and technology? To examine this, we must first understand which characteristics of modern scientific and technological research inherently carry the potential to cause such problems.
The first characteristic is that it is difficult to accurately predict the impact that science and technology will have on future society. For example, when new modes of transportation emerged in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, people expected that they would no longer need to use horses and would thus be freed from the problem of pollution caused by horse manure. However, they did not anticipate that, over time, greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and industrial facilities would become one of the primary causes of air pollution and climate change. From a broader perspective, even when Einstein published his theory of relativity, he likely could not have predicted that it would later serve as a crucial scientific foundation for the development of nuclear weapons. In particular, because basic science can be applied to various fields, it is not easy to determine in advance how a new theory will affect human life in the future when it first emerges. Moreover, modern science and technology are becoming increasingly complex and specialized, and as the convergence of technologies accelerates, predicting future impacts is becoming even more difficult. Even in fields currently regarded as key to future industries—such as life sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence—various debates regarding safety and ethics continue.
The second dangerous characteristic is that the advancement of science and technology is closely linked to the development of military technology, including weapons of mass destruction. While this phenomenon has existed since ancient times, the rapid advancement of science and technology in the 20th century led to scientific knowledge being utilized more directly in warfare. World War I was even dubbed the “War of the Chemists,” as various poison gases were developed and used on actual battlefields. Ironically, the Haber-Bosch process—developed to secure the nitrates needed for manufacturing explosives—later enabled the mass production of nitrogen fertilizers, contributing significantly to the improvement of global agricultural productivity. By World War II, cutting-edge military technologies such as tanks, fighter planes, and radar were being utilized on a large scale, and the eventual development of the atomic bomb fundamentally changed the nature of warfare. Subsequently, during the Cold War era, the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons increased, and even today, nuclear weapons remain a major threat to the safety of all humanity.
Finally, the third dangerous characteristic of modern science and technology research is the lack of sufficient communication between the expert community developing these technologies and civil society. As science and technology have advanced, research has become increasingly specialized and complex, making it difficult for anyone other than experts in the field to understand. Consequently, it has become difficult for the general public to take an interest in cutting-edge science and technology, and the gap between experts and citizens has naturally widened. Furthermore, modern scientific and technological research often requires large-scale research facilities and substantial funding, making it heavily dependent on support from governments and corporations. In this environment, researchers tend to focus heavily on their relationships with funding agencies, while communication with civil society may become relatively neglected. However, the impact of science and technology on society is growing, and it is the citizens who are most affected by this impact. Therefore, active communication between science and technology experts and civil society has become a far more critical task than ever before.
Given these characteristics, what is the appropriate approach to addressing the issues raised by science and technology? First, to mitigate the risks stemming from uncertainty—the first of these characteristics—it is necessary to thoroughly examine the various problems that may arise before applying new science and technology to society. Fortunately, thanks to advances in cutting-edge technologies such as supercomputers and artificial intelligence, we are now able to analyze and predict the social and environmental impacts of new technologies much more comprehensively than in the past. Furthermore, since humans are ultimately the ones who decide which technologies to use, we can either carefully manage technologies that may cause serious adverse effects on the environment and safety or work toward developing alternative technologies. In fact, there has recently been active global development of technologies for sustainable development, such as carbon neutrality, eco-friendly energy, renewable energy, and the circular economy. This movement to advance technology while considering environmental issues can be viewed as a very positive change.
Second, the problems arising from the connection to military technology can be viewed as military and political issues rather than the responsibility of science and technology itself. While it is true that science and technology have provided the foundation for the development of weapons of mass destruction, it is ultimately humans who use them to wage war. For example, if a dictator in an authoritarian state mobilizes the military to massacre his own citizens, we generally hold the dictator responsible—not the scientist who developed the weapons. In other words, these issues stem not from science and technology themselves, but from how they are utilized. Given the reality that many countries already possess nuclear weapons, war poses a threat to the survival of all humanity. Therefore, the international community must consistently prioritize diplomacy, cooperation, and peaceful dialogue over military conflict in the process of resolving disputes.
Finally, building mutual trust is paramount for ensuring smooth communication between expert communities and civil society. Without trust, it becomes difficult to objectively assess the risks and benefits that science and technology bring, and ultimately, sound social discourse cannot take place. For example, in the process of determining the location of nuclear power plants or large-scale energy facilities, it is necessary to fully guarantee citizen participation and to reach social consensus through dialogue and compromise. To this end, scientists and engineers must disclose currently available information as objectively as possible, while also honestly explaining the limitations of scientific predictions. Citizens, too, must move beyond unconditional opposition or indifference, based on a mature sense of civic responsibility, and actively participate in the policy-making process to become active participants in social decision-making.
Science and technology provide us with prosperous and convenient lives, but they also give rise to various problems. However, it is ultimately humans who develop and utilize science and technology. Therefore, it is not desirable to attribute all problems solely to science and technology. This is no different from criticizing science and technology itself by focusing on only one aspect of it, and may even result in granting a free pass to those who should bear the true responsibility. Ultimately, the core of the problems caused by science and technology lies not in the technology itself but in the people who use it. If humanity utilizes science and technology in a responsible and ethical manner, our lives will become even more prosperous; conversely, if used in the wrong way, it could lead to consequences that threaten the future of humanity. The future of science and technology ultimately depends on human choices, and now, more than ever, we are called upon to make wise decisions.
