Who was responsible for unleashing the atomic bomb on an unsuspecting world - the scientists who conceived it or the politicians who sanctioned its use?
The interplay between scientific knowledge and its application as technology provides a central theme for the first biannual Irish Times/RDS Science Today lecture, which takes place next week at the RDS.
Prof Lewis Wolpert, chairman of the UK Committee for the Public Understanding of Science, will highlight "the distinction between knowledge of the world and how it is used" at
the public lecture next Tuesday. "I have argued that in relation to the building of the atomic bomb the scientists behaved morally and fulfilled their social obligations by informing their governments about the implication of atomic theory. The decision to build the bomb was taken by politicians, not scientists," Prof Wolpert says.
How would the public have responded if offered a wonderful new personal transport device that was cheap to buy but that carried the annual burden in Ireland of 500 dead and thousands injured? he asks. The motorcar would probably have been rejected as too hazardous. "One should be cautious in asking scientists to be more socially responsible. I do not want any group of experts to take moral or ethical decisions for us," he argues.
Prof Wolpert will challenge his audience with the question, is science dangerous? Has scientific discovery become a risky undertaking that should be stopped before something unthinkable is unleashed?
His answer is emphatic. "One should not abandon the possibility of doing good by applying some scientific idea because one can also use it to do bad. Once one begins to censor the acquisition of objective knowledge, one is on the most slippery of slippery slopes."
He uses concerns about the assumed dangers associated with genetic engineering research to highlight his arguments. The very term, he says, "conjures up the image of Frankenstein and his monster", adding: "The press are aware of this and often publish what I regard as genetic pornography, that is reports about genetics dressed up to titillate and frighten."
Part of the problem is "ignorance about the nature and techniques of genetic engineering". It is worth recalling, he says, that there was "tremendous hostility" to vaccination in the last century. Radio waves after their discovery were dismissed as having no practical application, and no less than Lord Rutherford said the application of atomic energy was moonshine.
Prof Lewis Wolpert's lecture, Is Science Dangerous? takes place next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the RDS Concert Hall in Ballsbridge, Dublin. Doors open at 6.30 p.m. and admission is free. Places may be booked by contacting Ms Carol Power at the RDS, (01) 668-0866.
Readers' Promotion
The Irish Times has 20 pairs of tickets to the lecture and 20 copies of Prof Wolpert's latest book, Passionate Minds, to give away. To enter this free draw, readers should send this coupon together with your name, address and daytime phone number to: The Irish Times/RDS Readers' Offer, The Irish Times, Promotions Department, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2, by first post Monday, May 18th. The 20 winners, drawn at random from the postbag, will be notified by phone and arrangements made for book collection and access to the lecture.
