TERROR AND THE SOURCE OF REASON

摘要

Jenkins ends his book by examining ways by which science could be detached from this miserable complex. Unfortunately, although this chapter, entitled 'Manifesto for a Global Deep Science Movement', is the most crucial for our efforts to turn the terror of the moment into a moment of revolutionary reason, it is the weakest. Jenkins' Manifesto has five declamations addressed to scientists, engineers and inventors in the modalities of 'should' or 'must'. For example, 'Fifth, scientists, engineers, and inventors should ally themselves with disarmers, environmentalists, workers, and other groups outside the power elite in their demand for an equal say in which directions scientific research and technological development should proceed'. This 'should', like Jenkins' other four, is, of course, a requirement for contemporary democratic life. As he points out, 'There is no liberty unless the citizens can ensure that their freedoms are not taken away through false claims that this is the only way that society can deal with threats to life. The citizens can only be sure that this will not happen if they themselves ... can participate in decisions about the direction of scientific research and technological development' (p. 280).