In these current times, science has become a big part of our existence that if you have been to school even for a short while, you study some sort of science. Science and technology used to go hand in hand when I was in the primary school but now, each of these fields have gained their own grounds.
Science is simply the act of obtaining and sharing knowledge. Philosophy is usually associated with differentiating between right and wrong and finding the meaning to life. Philosophy of science is finding meaning to nature, obtaining knowledge,consequences of hive and everything to do with science. The application of science has led to the development of some very great products and solutions that has aided humanity. There have been concerns over the years as to how some of these products were developed and even today, some of these concerns have not been addressed. Are scientists allowed to do what they want? How far are they allowed to go?
Before a product is developed say medicine, it has to go through a series of processes. Research into the diseases the medicine aims to solve would have to be made for weeks, months or several years. Some scientists spend their entire lives trying to find a solution to some diseases while some die while trying to discover more. Drug trials are important steps in developing medicine and this is where the issue is most of the time.
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Before human trials, animals are used which some people consider wrong. When the drugs being developed get to a stage they do not kill or cause serious side effects to the animals, the drug trials are moved to the human trials. Human trials involved a lot more. Researchers have to get their human trials stage approved and get consent from all those they intend to use as "human lab rats". In this stage some scientists do not go through all the proper channels and that is where ethics comes into play.
In science, ethics is very important and is a topic for discussion everyday. Genetics and gene engineering is one of the fields were ethics is heavily involved. A lot of people believe that gene mapping or gene engineering should not be justified regardless of the pros it has while some think otherwise. In the same way, some people human trials for drugs violate these ethics and go too far.
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Some scientists go as far as infecting themselves as seen by Bary Marshall in the 90s. He infected himself with bacteria and treated himself by taking antibiotics. Fortunately, he proved his and Warrens's theory and research while winning a nobel prize. While some see this as an achievement, others see it as wrong because he could have died. Some are also concerned this sets precedent for others to use these unorthodox measures to prove their point.
While the world keeps developing, more products will be developed and this will always be a topic for discussion. Scientists will think they need to go to the extreme to develop solutions that will help the world. Scientists should undoubtedly be held accountable for some of their actions that threaten human lives. Scientists who use humans for trials without going through the proper channels that have been put in place should face the consequences. If these are left unchecked, people would do anything they want in the name of drug development for the greater good.
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