Science and religion are the strongest forces in the society. While some people view science and religion to be at irreconcilable differences and odds with each other, other people consider them dealing with different domains of life and cannot contradict each other due to these differences. Additionally, there is a common assumption that scientist are not religious and that the religious community lacks scientific information and interest in scientific activities, thereby making these two things incompatible.
Is science ethical? This has always been a topic of debates with the fundamentalists (religious people) claiming that science does not have ethics. These groups of thoughts believe that ethics only underlie in religion and not science. From this viewpoint, it could be concluded that these religious persons lack scientific knowledge. Science seeks to establish the truth on a basis of facts, therefore, if ethics is right Vs wrong, true Vs false, and good Vs bad, then science employs ethic in encompassing evidences and facts to establish this truth. Scientists also believe that religious views are imaginary without rational argument, which science considers as theory. Additionally, scientists believe that religion is just murmuring fact less, irrational, illogical and orthodox. Even more, scientists consider theories more accurate compared to religion since theory is tested verified, experimented and proved, making religion an unethical hypothesis.
Scientists asserts that religion lacks ethics since it manipulates people through fear and greed for power and mission that science considers false. Innocent followers have been divided by religion resulting in conflicts and wars of belief across religious groups. On the other hand religion considers science unethical citing that human beings should not be used for research since there are supreme beings created by God. Scientific innovations that have strived to create human like beings have been strongly refuted by religious groups.
Both science and religion have respect for life and advocates for conservation and preservation of life. Religious and scientific teachings disagree on the origin of life. Nevertheless, they both agree to the fact that life is important and should be respected. In my opinion, science and religion do not clarify ethical debates; they even make them more confusing. Religious groups themselves do not speak in unison regarding science and ethics. While Protestants refute the evolution theory, Catholics do not say anything negative, but have developed the Big Bang theory, which is in it scientific. However, science and religion have proved to posses conflicting interests that these ethical debates lack a foreseeable conclusion.
Even though scientists view that embryonic stems cells present new therapies, their use in research has brought about hot debates. The ethical dilemma arising from this research occurs due to the conflicting views of scientific and religious groups. While scientists assert that this research presents an opportunity to prevent or alleviate suffering, religious groups, believe that this research defies the ethical values of respect for the value of human life. From a religious standpoint, destroying the embryo to obtain stem cells for research implies destroying potential human life. Nevertheless, scientists believe that this research could solve problems facing many living human beings. These moral principles cannot be respected in this research since it could lead to unending debates of morals and ethics. In the end scientists decide since they believe that an early embryo, which has not been implanted into the uterus does not have the psychological, emotional or physical properties associated with being a human being (Panno, 2009). Finally, this debate should not become a political debate since some politicians lack the relevant information regarding such ethical issues and their main agenda would be to spread propaganda.
Reference;
Panno J. (2009). Stem Cell Research: Medical Applications and Ethical Controversy: Facts on File science library. New York City: Infobase Publishing.
