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Why should scientists and engineers study the social sciences? This question is often asked by scientists and engineers who focus on the natural sciences.
Social sciences are considered to be of little relevance to those working in laboratories and spaces dedicated to innovation and technological development, and these laboratories are responsible for the natural sciences and are considered unrelated to social phenomena. It is being
In universities, where young people receive their disciplinary training, the natural sciences are intellectually and physically separated from the social sciences.
At best, scientists and engineers will acknowledge that studying the social sciences helps them understand the use and adoption of technology once it is introduced into society.
But the social sciences not only help us understand the world outside of innovation and technological progress, but also help us consider the processes that underlie them. These processes are deeply embedded in broader social, economic, and cultural contexts. They are not neutral, predetermined, or objective.
In fact, the process of technology development involves several social, economic, technical, and ethical choices and considerations. This process involves understanding natural laws, applying knowledge to identified social problems, and designing products to address the problems.
Selection and consideration include prioritizing societal challenges for research, setting research goals, and adopting a particular approach to research and development. It also includes assessing the social and environmental impacts of emerging technologies throughout their lifecycle, from production to disposal.
For example, a scientist aiming to maximize agricultural production must make several choices. It is necessary to consider whether to adopt genetic modification technology to create genetically modified crops. However, this would prioritize yields and pest resistance at the potential expense of environmental safety, undermining rigorous analysis of the long-term effects of genetically modified crops on food chains and human well-being. become.
These choices and considerations will determine the form, direction, and pace of technology development. Social factors that influence these decisions include market demand, financing mechanisms, business strategy, commercialization potential, and profitability.
Technology development is often driven by values, beliefs, and social norms. For example, over several decades, Development of male contraceptives is limitedIt reflects how male dominance influences advances in technology, including contraceptives. A lack of contraceptive options for men places a disproportionate burden on women to prevent pregnancy.
Not all social issues receive the same priority from the scientific and engineering communities. For example, the development of new drugs to combat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis remains slow.
There is no new vaccine for tuberculosis It has been developed over the past 100 years primarily due to limited commercial potential. Infection It mainly affects poor people in developing countries who have low purchasing power.
Similar biases shape innovation in India. Indian Space Research Organization in August 2023 Landed Chandrayaan-3 On the moon. However, the country has not yet developed or implemented technology to prevent manual cleaners and cleaners from dying. Commuter dies after falling from local train in Mumbai.
There is a need to realize that despite the successes of the space program, the concerns of Adivasis, small farmers and urban commuters await appropriate innovations.
Career prospects can also play an important role in influencing the influx of talent and the pace of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The fields that scientists and engineers choose to study, and the engineering fields that students choose at the undergraduate level, appear to be personal choices. However, this choice is influenced by social factors.
Therefore, it is also essential to study the processes of innovation and technological development and deployment, along with social phenomena such as caste, class, and inequality.
Understanding the social sciences equips scientists and engineers with the skills to critically examine the scientific and technological world around them and to consider the process of technological development, including their own role and actions in this process. You can put it on.
Sachin Tiware is a Fellow at the Ashoka Trust Environment and Development Center for Ecology and Environmental Research, Bangalore.his email address is sachin.tiwale@gmail.com.
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