The government should fund scientific research only when it has a direct application to societal problems.

The government should fund scientific research only when it has a direct application to societal problems.9:50 to 10:20

Ever since the start of mankind, people have always tried to find ways to enhance the world around them. Over several millennia, civilization rose and fell but scientific knowledge was adopted by future generations of today from each of these civilizations. Science is not a definite discipline but is filled with enigma as well as trial and error. In the modern day, science is very valuable because it explains our surroundings and makes society aware of possible solutions to health problems. Nowadays funding is necessary for successful scientific research whether it be for society or not.

Firstly, consider when the government should fund scientific research that impact societal problems. Over the past few centuries health crises have affected and taken numerous casualties from the gloomy days of the Black death to the modern days of AIDS, H1N1 avian flu and swine flu. Since the 1980s, AIDS was a major issue affecting many countries and has evolved to be an epidemic but now affects only certain underdeveloped countries. Over the past three decades, the government has successfully implemented health programs to educate citizens about AIDS and what can be done to prevent transmission. In addition to education, scientific research funded by the government has allowed the public to really know the mechanism of AIDS and established preventive practices. These include the use of condoms, abstinence, avoid sharing needles and practicing safe sex. More recently, the threat of zoonoses are becoming major issue. For example, the H1N1 Avian Flu outbreak and the more recent Swine flu from 2009 have made people more vigilant. The government has issued a state of emergency every flu season and have encouraged citizens to take advantage of government sponsored prevention programs such as the free H1N1 and swine flu vaccines. Also in many universities around the country, more emphasis on hand hygiene and disinfecting common surfaces have been emphasized by the Centers of Disease Control. So the government, has an important duty to keep the country safe from health hazards and if necessary has to fund for the necessary scientific research.

On the other hand, the government can also fund scientific research for issues not affecting society. For example the hot topic of stem cells, cryopreservation and space exploration are developing into major fields of study. In the US, the government has put major emphasis on the NASA Space program from the 1950s in the midst of the Cold War in an effort to compete with Russian cosmonauts. In addition to competing with the Soviets, the government is funding NASA to do missions on other planets to find more resources for earth. The most significant missions were sending space probes to mars, the moon and newer interests in distant planets with similar environments as Earth. The issue of finding additional resources doesn’t affect people directly other than using tax money but will take time to implement, however it is worth the try. Also, stem cells, cryopreservation and regenerative medicine have been of interest to scientists all around the world but have sparked ethical controversies. In 2004, President Bush objected to funding Embryonic stem cell research because according to religious beliefs it is robbing lives, by killing embryos. Eventually in 2007, researchers in Europe found a safe and ethical alternative, Amniotic Fluid Stem (AFS) cells. AFS are cells that were extracted from the fluid surrounding the placenta and hosts a plethora of pluripotent cells that could differentiate. Soon the government, accepted this research and gave funding for it after much debate.

As a result, the government should prioritize funding scientific research that impacts society first and then for entities such as Space exploration next. There needs to be a fine balance between funding research for health crisis versus space exploration. In either case scientific research must be funded by the government regardless for whom its for.