Glencoe Science: Chemistry

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THE NATURE OF SCIENCE L ◆ 5
The Limits of Science
Using scientific methods is the best way to learn about how
the world works, but science has its limitations. Scientists are
sometimes unable to answer a question or solve a problem
because they lack the necessary tools. This is often a temporary
limitation because once the required tools are developed, science
often provides answers. For example, scientists were unaware of
the existence of Jupiter’s moons before the telescope was invented.
What Science Can’t Answer
Science can’t give answers to questions that are not testable
or that can’t be measured or observed. Three major areas in
which science can’t provide answers are questions about
morality, values, and spirituality.
The idea that it was immoral for Nobel to sell dynamite to
armies, for example, is not a scientific idea because it can’t be
scientifically tested. Similarly, science can’t answer opinion
questions about values like the modern-day question of how
far advances in the field of cloning should be taken. Should
scientists use the new techniques developed to clone a human
being? Any possible answer is a matter of opinion and therefore can’t be measured or tested. Finally, science can’t answer
questions about spiritual matters because they are unable to be
observed, measured, or tested.
Science and Responsibility
Although science can’t answer questions about ethics and
values, it can provide facts that may help people to make
informed decisions. Being familiar with facts on all sides of an
issue and careful consideration of what the possible positive
and negative effects might be to an individual, a society, or the
environment can help people decide upon a course of action.
Each new scientific discovery brings new questions. Some of
these questions concern ethical matters that can’t be
answered by science alone. Find out about a recipient of the
Nobel Prize for Chemistry. What did the person do to win this
honor? What ethical questions arise from his or her work?
Figure 6 When the world was
presented with Dolly, a sheep
produced as a result of cloning,
many ethical questions were
raised about future applications
of this new biotechnology.
AP/Wide World Photos/PA
02-05-LBL-NOS-861767 8/23/04 2:17 PM Page 5

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