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J.E Fenstad et al., eds., Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science VIII Elsevier Science Publishers B.V (1989) 63-78 IS THERE ANYTHING WE SHOULD NOT WANT TO KNOW? PETER GARDENFORS Department of Philosophy, University of Lund, Sweden Introduction When the wife of the Bishop of Worcester first heard of Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection, her immediate reaction was: “Descended from monkeys? My dear, let us hope that it is not true! But if it is true, let us hope that it not become widely known!” Her words indicate that she thought that Darwin’s theory, if validated, would be dangerous knowledge which should be kept secret among those who could bear the awful truth Today, we can smile at her reaction Darwin’s evolutionary theory does not seem dangerous any longer However, there are a number of present-day examples of scientific investigations that may lead to undesirable knowledge Let me only remind you of the research on recombinant DNA and the development of ever more powerful nuclear weapons Until rather recently, it has been taken for granted that all kinds of scientific knowledge are valuable resources, and, consequently, that there should be no restrictions on the topics and directions of scientific inquiry The question I want to focus on is: Could there be scientific knowledge, the possession of which would be inimical to ourselves or our welfare? If the answer is positive, it is natural to argue that we shoul impose restrictions on scientific research that may produce this kind of knowledge Critics of unlimited scientific freedom argue that certain types of knowledge should be forbidden because it is dangerous But what is meant by “dangerous” here? I want to distinguish between two main types of dangers The first type is knowledge that will lead to undesirable material consequences The most common fear is that certain forms of ? 63