Science, ethics & society

Scientific discoveries and technologies don't exist in isolation — they affect real people, communities and the environment, raising ethical, social, economic and environmental questions. For example, a new medical treatment might save lives but also be expensive or raise questions about who gets access to it first. Scientists and science communicators play an important role in explaining scientific findings clearly and honestly to the public, which in turn shapes public opinion, government policies and regulations — like laws about pollution, vaccines, or new technologies.

Key terms

Ethics:

Questions about what is right or wrong, fair or unfair, in how something is done or used.

Science communication:

Explaining scientific findings clearly to the public, media or policymakers.

Policy:

An official plan or set of rules, often shaped by scientific evidence, guiding decisions in society.

Questions

1. 1. Scientific discoveries:

   • Have no effect on society
   • Can affect people, communities and the environment
   • Only matter to scientists
   • Never raise questions

2. 2. Ethics involves questions about:

   • Only maths
   • What is right or wrong, fair or unfair
   • Only chemistry
   • Weather patterns

3. 3. Science communication means:

   • Hiding scientific findings
   • Explaining scientific findings clearly to the public
   • Ignoring the public
   • Making science more confusing

4. 4. A policy is:

   • A random guess
   • An official plan or set of rules guiding decisions
   • A type of chemical
   • A scientific theory only

5. 5. New technologies can raise:

   • No questions at all
   • Ethical, social and economic questions
   • Only technical questions
   • Nothing worth discussing

6. 6. Public opinion about science can be shaped by:

   • Nothing at all
   • How science is communicated
   • Random chance only
   • Weather

7. 7. Government regulations about things like pollution are often based on:

   • Guesswork
   • Scientific evidence
   • Nothing
   • Random votes with no evidence

8. 8. A new medical treatment that is expensive raises questions about:

   • Nothing important
   • Who gets access to it
   • Only its chemical formula
   • Its colour

9. 9. Genetic testing raises ethical questions such as:

   • How many atoms are in DNA
   • Who should have access to someone's genetic information
   • The exact date it was invented
   • Nothing ethical at all

10. 10. Why is honest science communication important for public policy?

    • It has no connection to policy
    • Policies are often shaped by how well the public and policymakers understand the science
    • Communication never matters
    • Policies are always random

11. 11. An economic consideration of a new technology might include:

    • Its cost and who can afford it
    • Only its scientific accuracy
    • Nothing relevant
    • Its colour

12. 12. An environmental consideration of a new industrial process might include:

    • Its effect on pollution or ecosystems
    • Only its speed
    • Its price alone
    • Nothing relevant

13. 13. Scientists communicating clearly with the public mainly helps:

    • Confuse people further
    • People make more informed decisions and opinions
    • Hide information
    • Replace the need for evidence

14. 14. Which best shows an ethical consideration in science?

    • Whether an experiment's equipment is expensive
    • Whether a new technology could unfairly disadvantage certain groups
    • The chemical formula used
    • The exact temperature of a reaction

15. 15. A new farming technology increases crop yields but uses chemicals that may harm local wildlife. Weighing these outcomes is an example of:

    • Pure scientific measurement only
    • Considering ethical, environmental and social trade-offs of a technology
    • An irrelevant question
    • A purely mathematical problem

16. 16. Why might scientists and policymakers need to work together rather than scientists working alone?

    • Science has no role in policy at all
    • Policies benefit from being informed by scientific evidence while also weighing social and ethical factors
    • Policymakers should ignore all science
    • Scientists should make all political decisions alone

17. 17. A study finds a chemical is likely harmful, but industries relying on it push back publicly. This scenario illustrates:

    • Science operating in a vacuum with no social impact
    • How scientific findings can conflict with economic interests, requiring careful public communication
    • That the science must be wrong because of the pushback
    • That public opinion always overrides evidence

18. 18. Why is it considered important to communicate scientific uncertainty honestly (e.g. "current evidence suggests" rather than overclaiming certainty)?

    • Uncertainty should always be hidden from the public
    • Honest communication about confidence levels helps the public and policymakers make well-informed decisions
    • Science is never uncertain about anything
    • Uncertainty is irrelevant to communication

19. 19. Why might the same scientific finding lead to different policy decisions in different countries?

    • Science works differently in each country
    • Policy decisions also weigh differing social, economic and cultural values, not just the science
    • All countries make identical decisions
    • Policy has nothing to do with values

20. 20. Considering the broader ethical, social, environmental and economic impact of scientific developments mainly helps society:

    • Ignore science entirely
    • Make more thoughtful, balanced decisions about how science and technology are used
    • Reject all new technology automatically
    • Remove the need for regulations