Pragya Mishra
Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi
“Science brings society to the next level; ethics keeps us there.” – Dr. Hal Simoreth
The word ‘science’ is generally associated with labs, equipment, thick books, chemicals, etc. However, there is something that makes science an enterprise for the laymen: its ubiquity and simplicity. The mere rational outlook of a person and open-minded approach towards the world events constitutes as scientific and involves no quantum theory as such. It is this feature of science that helps one transcend the uncertainty of the natural world and accept the unknown as a product of some cause only. Rationality is one of the major premises of scientific thinking and has also been an important component of many movements such as those against caste prejudices and superstitions.
It is this scientific thinking that determines a society and its people. This time of the pandemic too requires an understanding of science not only to tackle health-related issues but also to understand the spread of the virus and ways to maintain societal harmony. At a time when fake news has become a norm and communal dialogue an everyday enterprise, it becomes important to realise events in terms of cause and effect.
Science and society are not independent. Science needs society for creating understanding and acceptance of a rational outlook in people, while society needs science to overcome narrow-mindedness.
When the pandemic was at its early stages, there were several groups who despite being affluent chose not to take adequate precautions and travelled the world like any other normal day. Understanding the gravity of a situation and adhering to rules in order to ensure the larger interests of people count as rational. Thus, being ethical for the greater good and being rational are not completely independent of each other. In many corners of the world large spread of the virus could have been avoided had some people taken simple measures such as restricting going out or wearing a mask.
The existential threat that looms over every person and over the world as a family can be understood by accepting scientific reasons behind spread of the virus and humanitarian perspective of obligation that each has towards the other. A disease that spreads through human proximity cannot be studied as a mere disease, but as a threat that looms over the society as a whole. The answer to addressing this situation lies in intersections of humanities and sciences. As Gandhi pointed out in one of the seven sins listed by him- “science without humanity” is a sin. All the scientific researches would go in vain if one doesn’t approach them with humanitarian ethos.
It is ironic to comprehend several ‘Anti-Mask Rallies’ across the United States of America, a country that has been known for its scientific achievements and technological giants. The fact that people in many nations supported anti-mask agendas points at the larger humanitarian danger of becoming unscientific messengers of the ‘untruth’. In a world that is largely technology driven and where one understands the significance of science in daily life, one cannot afford grave neglect that could cause lives of the people. Calling pandemic, a hoax reflects a lack of empathy and deep distortions in proper understanding of the basic science behind spread of the disease.
We might find a cure to the virus but what needs deeper diagnosis is the ignorance and tendency to give-in to fake news and rumours. The decline of rationality might become a more serious threat than an impermanent pandemic. There is a need for scientific dialogue in laymen’s language, along with the necessity to address collective responsibility of each one of us to create a healthy environment. It is high time that science is made an everyday enterprise and ethics a universal subject.
With everything going online, the world needs ethics to use technology and rational thinking to maintain social distancing for the greater good. Ethical understanding of the world will also help in just and equitable distribution of vaccines, while a scientific approach will make people more accepting of these vaccines.
Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights was accepted in 2005 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in order to make bioethics an important subject within the field of human rights. Hence, science and humanity are not alien to each other and their holistic understanding will help humankind in sailing through its gravest challenge.
