Logic, methodology and philosophy of science VIII proceedings of the eighth international congress of logic, methodology and philosophy of science, and philosophy of science proceedings) ( PDFDrive ) 42

PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE AND MAN 23 The destiny of the whole civilisation depends on the ability of man to humanise the scientific development The heated discussions on the questions of the ethical control of scientific research and the social responsibility of scientists are not fortuitous today.” The social functions which science is assuming today present new requirements to the scientific community in ethical and cultural terms It is not always that science and scientists fulfil those important functions, and this sometimes causes negative assessment of science’s humanitarian potential which grows into a general negative assessment of the role of intelligence in general Felt here are manifestations of the technocratic tendencies, individualism and casteism, the irresponsible attitude to designing and using complex technical devices which greatly harm both people and environment, the indifference to human needs, concerns and destinies Having become an extremely mighty force, science is capable of destroying humanity if it escapes moral control, and on the other hand, being included into harmonious social and cultural development, it can make a great contribution to the process of civilisation The latter kind of science is capable of being a forum of wide international social contacts, which make it possible to develop a general view of the most acute present-day problems This, for instance, is the role of science in predicting the possible destructive consequences of a nuclear war (the “nuclear winter” concept), in working out ways of overcoming the ecological crisis, etc The most urgent problems of today are preserving peace and civilisation on Earth and protecting nature We cannot close our eyes to the fact that science is intensively being entangled in the arms race, militarisation of space and the implementation of the star wars programme At the same time it is pleasant to note the growing activity of scientists of various specialities in the movement against the threat of nuclear self-destruction of the humanity, and for a lasting peace on Earth Prominent scientists launched this movement Niels Bohr was among the first physicists who realised that the atomic weapon is a challenge to the entire human civilisation, and necessitates a radically new approach to international relations In his Open Letter to the United Nations of June 12,1950, he drew attention to the need for an international agreement which would guarantee universal security, and stressed the significance of mutual understanding, mutual trust and stable 21 A comprehensive analysis of the socio-ethical problems of science and of the scientists’ social responsibility,and also a review of relevant discussions are to be found in: h o m v , I.T.and Ymm, B.G., 1986, Ethics of Science, Russian edn (Moscow)