On October 31, 2021, the 4th World Top Scientists Forum held a special event: the World's Top Scientists Young Talents Exchange and Dialogue Meeting.
At the dialogue, Yang Yuliang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, former president of Fudan University, and director of the Science Popularization Education Committee of the Faculty of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in response to questions from young scientists: "Sociological problems should not be expected to be solved by science. Science can prevent certain problems, but the most difficult and almost impossible to solve is the problem of human nature. ”
At the dialogue meeting, a high school student asked, in recent years, the state has issued a number of policies to protect the ecological environment, while research shows that microplastics may produce substances harmful to the human body, in this context, what is the development prospects of microplastics? Will the roles we play in our lives change?
In the face of high school students' questions, Yang Yuliang replied that science has a way to solve the problem of white pollution, but littering plastic is a social behavior, and using scientific methods to solve sociological problems is not a good way. Are we developing a technology that allows people to take advantage of bad habits?
Yang Yuliang said: "Now many marine animals, including human blood, seem to be able to isolate a certain amount of small pieces of plastic, because in this way, humans hope to develop biodegradable, degraded into small molecules within a specified time." This is the problem of white pollution, scientifically there are ways to solve, but littering plastic is a social behavior, should change people's behavior habits, if not littered, can be centralized recycling centralized treatment.
Using the scientific method to solve social problems, I think this is not a good way. Polymer plastics can be used for a long time, which would have been a good thing, but now they don't have to be decomposed for a long time. If you think about it, what exactly is it for? Do we develop a technology that allows people to take advantage of bad habits? I don't think so.
Sociological problems should not be expected to be solved by science. Science can prevent certain problems, but the most difficult and almost impossible to solve is the problem of human nature.
Source: Thoughtful