Science and the public

Science dominates the field of knowledge in our modern day society and this domination is the result of uninterrupted progress discovered and led by scientists. Scientists seek to construct reliable knowledge of the natural world by means of careful observations combined with reason and imagination which will possibly be beneficial for mankind. 

Scientific knowledge is being discovered on a regular basis, which could lead us to wonder to what extent should scientific knowledge be open to the public? Should the general public be aware of findings, should it be kept secret or be exclusively to the scientific world?

Keeping the public of scientific research and progress will allow the general population to be able to have more scientific knowledge and develop more their capacity which can allow them to have the capability to themselves make scientific discoveries and be more educated individuals. Keeping scientific research open is also a risk as if it purposed for the government or private companies and the population is aware of it there could be issues in theft and using the newer technologies and discoveries for negative and harmful uses, or selling them on the black market for a greater price it is worth.

History has shown that it takes around 300 hundred years to accept scientific discoveries, showing that social context can truly affect methods and findings.The researching of socially unacceptable topics could get the scientist into trouble by their family, friends or even the government. For example it is illegal to do abortions in Saudi Arabia so researching this topic or conducting experiments can get them punished. The scientist will have to pursue a different topic or have their reputation tarnished, but if general public would not be aware, it would be easier for scientist to pursue the experiment. 

There is no direct answer on whether the public should be aware of findings, as them being aware can empower or limitate resources, methods, findings and ideology of the experiment of the researcher. It is fair to say that each situation differs, and could possibly be up to the scientist to want to publish their work or not, and them also having obligation on the scientific world and respecting ethics concerning their findings.