The limits of knowledge seem to be endlessly receding. But, at the same time we shudder with fear when we see the uses to which it is put. The agitated history of our century confronts us with our respective responsibilities. Today we are more aware, than in the past, of the ambivalence of science. Man can use it for his betterment, but also for his destruction.
Science has so many implications that it calls for an increased awareness on the part of conscience.
Men and women of science, you feel in the depths of your being that the human person cannot, without denying himself avoid asking the most decisive questions which science rightly excludes from its field, because these questions belong to another sphere of knowledge. Scientific progress, particularly in the field of genetics, keeps conscience on the alert and stimulates ethical reflection. Even if their value judgements diverge and their political doctrines are extremely different, a number of political authorities have established national ethics committees in many countries. Beyond the divergent viewpoints which these institutions can inspire, the sole fact of their recent establishment clearly shows that those responsible for civil society perceive, along with the tragic loss of consensus on fundamental moral convictions, the complexity and the seriousness of the interests at stake. It is your responsibility to use your expertise to assist this necessary development of moral awareness.