Teaching scientists to be citizens
Teaching scientists to be citizens
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教导科学家成为公民
DOI：
10.1038/sj.embor.embor810
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发表时间：
2003
期刊：
影响因子：
7.7
通讯作者：
J. Dubochet
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
J. Dubochet
生物学实验室（EMBL），在20世纪70年代末的初期，是基础研究和宁静的避风港。我记得在树木繁茂的小路上，沿着有艰苦的实验工作、密集的讨论和意想不到的想法。在最近的一次访问中，我看到EMBL的忙碌嗡嗡声丝毫没有减弱。但我也看到EMBL正在发生变化。停车场的爆炸性增长和商业公司的新建筑正在重塑林间空地;科学家们大多数时间都坐在电脑屏幕后面;女性比男性多;去年夏天，气温再次创下历史新高。而且，可能更重要的是，在那里工作的科学家们开始意识到，实验室之外还有一个世界。它始于山谷中的谣言，这些谣言首先提醒我们，一个更广阔的世界正在不远处冒泡。我们对当地报纸上的八卦报道感到惊讶，因为一些神秘的基因操作，生长在实验室周围的三叶草有可疑的叶子数量。当媒体广泛报道一位东德科学家声称艾滋病是美国特勤局的产品时，我们感到震惊。如今，关于克隆、干细胞研究、生物恐怖主义和股票市场动荡的新闻每天都在涌入。生物学家了解变化。30多亿年来，生命经历了变化，如果不是进化的努力，没有人会在这里见证任何事情。但现在发生的变化是不同的，因为它们是人为的，而且发生得越来越快。他们并没有得到每个人的热情："停止改善的东西!"，一只愤怒的手写在电脑室的门上。事实上，世界上的许多变化都令人担忧。但也有很多变化带来了希望。50年前，在我居住的瑞士阿尔卑斯山的村庄里，我们自豪的民主国家对待妇女的方式让人想起伊斯兰教最黑暗的一面。30年前，同样的妇女不被允许投票。从那以后发生了多么有利的变化。在此期间，世界文盲率和人口增长率大大降低，而生活在民主社会的人口比例大幅度增加，妇女在公共事务中的作用也大幅度增加。作为科学家，我们也对知识的巨大增长和我们为环境和我们自己的利益采取行动的能力的提高很敏感。人类社会第一次有能力为世界上的每个人提供健康的食物，良好的教育和高质量的医疗保健，我们可能会以可持续的方式做到这一点。我们可以.但我们没有。为什么？为什么？因为智人是自私的，好斗的和渴望权力的。因为他的智力有限，他超越眼前需要和狭隘文化世界的思考能力有限。但这只是争论的一个方面--就像雅努斯一样，人有两张脸。他也可以
Biology Laboratory (EMBL), in its infancy in the late 1970s, was a haven of basic research and serenity. I remember hard experimental work, intensive discussions and unexpected ideas emerging along the wooded paths. On a recent visit, I saw that the busy buzzing of EMBL has by no means receded. But I also saw that EMBL is changing. The explosive growth of the parking lots and the new buildings for commercial companies are reshaping the glade; scientists are sitting behind their computer screens most of the time; there are more females than males; last summer, the temperature broke another record high. And, probably much more important, the scientists working there are becoming aware that there is a world outside the laboratories. It started with rumours rising from the valley that first reminded us that a wider world was bubbling not far away. We were amazed at the gossip reported in the local press that clover, growing around the Laboratory, had a suspicious number of leaves because of some mysterious genetic manipulations. We were shocked when the media widely covered the claim made by an East German scientist that AIDS was a product of the US Secret Services. Nowadays, news about cloning, stem-cell research, bioterrorism and the turbulence of the stock market is pouring in daily. Biologists know about change. For more than 3 billion years, life has undergone changes, and no one would be here to witness anything if evolution had not been hard at work. But the changes that are now occurring are different, because they are anthropogenic and because they are happening increasingly rapidly. And they are not met with enthusiasm by everyone:“Stop improving things!”, an angry hand had written on the door of the computer room. Indeed, many changes in the world give ample cause for worry. But there are also plenty of changes that raise hope. Fifty years ago, in my village in the Swiss Alps, our proud democratic country was treating women in a way reminiscent of the darkest face of Islam. Thirty years ago, the same women were not allowed to vote. What a favourable change has happened since then. During this time, the incidence of illiteracy in the world and the population growth rate have been greatly reduced, whereas the proportion of people living in democratic societies has massively increased, as has the role of women in public affairs. As scientists, we are also sensitive to the huge increase in knowledge and to our improved ability to act for the good of our environment and ourselves. For the first time, human society is in a position to provide healthy food, good education and high-quality healthcare to everyone in the world, and we could probably do it in a sustainable way.We could… but we do not. Why? Because Homo sapiens is selfish, aggressive and power hungry. Because he is of limited intelligence and his ability to think beyond his immediate needs and his narrow cultural world is limited. But this is only one side of the argument—like Janus, man has two faces. He can also be