As Rector Kari Raivio pointed out his opening remarks, science itself does nothing. It is we who are shaping the world by means of science. These statements are important, since they clearly acknowledge that scientific research has been a source of both benefit and harm. It is also significant that here the goals of science are not reduced merely to the increase of economic wealth and prosperity, as in many national programmes of science and technology policy, but rather refer to more general values like the quality of life and sustainable development. Further, the benefits of science are expected to serve the whole of humanity, including future generations.
Science can influence human life and shape our future in several direct and indirect ways.
In my own presentation, I identified ten such patterns. These examples support the Enlightenment view that, in order to advance human life, science has to assure the quality of research work by maintaining high professional standards of inquiry and academic education. But in order to maintain the public legitimacy of research, scientists should also be concerned with the ethical issues in the creation of new knowledge and powerful technologies. Furthermore, global political will and cooperation are needed if the results of scientific inquiry are to secure the permanent ability of nations to sustain and improve the quality of life of their citizens.