>From: "Devine, James" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Joanna writes: > >A critique of the development of science under capitalism would take much >more than an email. Suffice it to say that what we refer to as SCIENCE >today is a specific historical form suffering from specific historical >deformations. I leave it to your imagination to envision how intelligent, >conscious beings might be able to develop alternative forms.< > >there's a difference between science in theory (what "intelligent, >conscious >beings might be able to develop") and science in practice (the degenerated >science of a pharmaceutical company, etc.)
Again, I believe it's the nature of science itself -- not just the corruptive effects of capitalism -- that so often causes technology to have a destructive, dehumanizing impact on society. The ever increasing specialization of scientific knowledge seems to *require* division of labor, bureaucratization of R&D and minimization of individual responsibility for long-term consequences -- an extremely toxic combination. (Apologies for the delay in responding -- lately my pen-l posts seem to be taking the scenic route through the web.) Carl _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com
