Science

Nomodiphas: What topic are we unto now?

Philosophos: How about science? How should the government be involved with the field of science and what is wrong with the way the government is interacting with it now?

Nomodiphas: Science is its own sphere with its own function so it should remain distinct from the government.

Philosophos: And is that the current situation?

Nomodiphas: Well, I think government is involved in science, but not to the degree that it is involved in education.

Philosophos: Give me an example of governmental involvement in the field of science.

Nomodiphas: How about NASA?

Philosophos: And what are the consequences of governmental involvement in this organization.

Nomodiphas: Well the organization has to pursue programs and topics that the government approves of. Also because this is a non-market institution it suffers the fault of all governmental organization: it is inefficient and too costly. Further, because it is government funded it is not focused so much on a gaining of knowledge as producing products that its sponsor desires. But then again, that is how most of the scientific field operates. It used to be that scientists sought to discover the principles of the natural world so that men could live according to them, now science seems to be focused solely on manipulating the principles of the natural world to make life more convenient for men (like designing better phones or ipods for example). When science is so market driven and focused only on results that create a profit, it loses sight of its primary function—that of discovering knowledge in the world.

Philosophos: Very good observation. It is true that government funded science is too focused on results, but so is market driven science. Few are the men who seek to discover knowledge for its own sake. Does a program like NASA infringe on our liberty?
Nomodiphas: Maybe I am missing something, but I don’t see how NASA infringes on our liberty. This probably has something to do with the fact that NASA does a lot of military research and the military is a valid function of the government. So by having NASA the government has not strayed too far from its function of protecting people. A scientific group that I think does infringe on our liberty is the FDA. Its function may be valid (that of protecting us by ensuring minimum standards of food and drug quality), but I think it goes too far at times. However, the biggest problem that I see in the FDA is that it often treats people like kids—it fails to respect their autonomy.

Philosophos: When does it do that?

Nomodiphas: I imagine you’ve read about those programs and initiatives they have to raise awareness about trans fat or to encourage people to exercise. This seems like an unnecessary and inappropriate use of tax dollars. They also do things that seem to undermine the autonomy of the family with their programs to encourage kids to play outside and eat their vegetables. It seems that this type of thing is the responsibility of the parents. It makes me a little nervous when the federal government tells me to go outside and to be sure I wear a hat and sunscreen! It has not happened yet, but there is always talk about banning certain fatty foods or sugary soda. It is up to the individual to decide what food they will eat and whether or not they will exercise. It makes me nervous when the government says we are making wrong choices with harsh consequences (namely obesity) so they must step in and keep us from making these decisions. These types of decisions are in the realm of individual liberty—a realm the government should not invade. I would rather have a country filled with fat and free men than a live in a country of healthy slaves! So far the invasions of freedom have been slight. I do not worry that this is a slippery slope of sorts (though it may well be) I just think we need to be on guard against even the smallest infractions of our liberty.