As before, the winning essays will be published in the June I July issue of the San Diego Humanist. Here is a copy of the instructions given to the students. Scientific understanding has provided human beings with extraordinary benefits in terms of improved medicine, advanced technology, increased understanding our world and our place in it, and the ability predict and control our world to a depth and precision that's never before been possible. And yet, for every medical breakthrough, there are also costs, as in the development of drug-resistant bacteria, premature babies that grow up with severe health disorders, and drugs like thalidomide, to name a few. Every advance in technology brings with it more pollution, displaced workers, and a more hectic and complicated life style.
Scientific understanding seems to take the mystery and wonder out of life.
And the ability to predict and control the world leads to increased responsibility and increased risks in the case of mistakes. You must support your thesis with at least three arguments, showing that the benefits of science are worth the costs, or showing that the costs outweigh the benefits. We will be looking especially for clear, succinct prose and for logical rather than emotional arguments. You tell us. And then send them to us.