Governments should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development.

Governments should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development.

Nowadays, there exists extensive discussion about to what extent should the government restrict scientific researches and developments. On the one hand, a purly free scientific community may ensue disastrousresults. On the other hand, too much interference from the government may also forestall the development of science. From my perspective, governments should monitor the morality and legitimation of the research approach and restrict the applications of scientific results while set no limit on the research field and subject.

First of all, governments should impose restrictions on how sciences conduct the researches. For example, plagiarism should bear no tolerance for it discourages innovation and is also immoral. Governments are also supposed to pay attention to how researchers gather information and recruit participants of their experiments. They should make sure that information is acquired from legal resources and the participants are not deceived or misguided. Morality and Legitimation are the two principles of scientific research and development.

What’s more, it is also necessary for governments to ensure that the research results are used for proper purposes. For instance, if scientists are allowed to create cloned human being, lots of moral and legal problems will emerge. The concur of two identical people may ruin family relationships. And cloned human being may also lead to the expansion of illicit trade of human organ. Therefore, governments should restrict the applications to keep the society safe and harmonious.

However, by no means should governments attach restrictions on the field and subject scientists choose to work on. Such limitation may disturb the scientific community and prevent scientists from dedicating themselves into promising topics or topics that they are keen on. Freedom in choosing the research subject will enable science develop more efficiently and benefit and society. Some may argue that some subjects are dangerous and therefore should be banned. Nevertheless, it is actually not the hazardous research fields but the dangerous applications that are harmful. For instance, nuclear energy itself as a research subject does not harm the society. Its applications in generating energy even prevents pollution. It is nuclear bombs, one of its applications, that is hazardous. Thus, governments should allow researchers themselves to choose the research subjects and set no limit.

To sum up, though not intervening in the subject studied, governments are supposed to channel scientists to conduct researches and apply the results properly. Through this way can a government promote scientific development while maintaining the security and harmony of the society at the same time.