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Nuclear Physics : A Scientist

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A scientist suspects that if he or she continues to research nuclear physics, his or her country will use the findings to produce a weapon capable of annihilating thousands or even millions of innocent civilians. The scientist, however, strongly believes that a weapon of this magnitude should remain nonexistent. Should he or she continue with this research even though it could be used to create a weapon of mass destruction? The scientist absolutely should. A scientist has no moral obligations in regards to the unintended applications of his or her research because termination of scientific development deprives society of beneficial technological progress; discontinuation of potentially harmful research has no actual effect on the project’s overall timeline as another scientist will likely be willing to finish the research; and the moral responsibilities concerning the destructive use of scientific developments fall on government officials, not scientists. If a scientist ethically disagrees with the unintended applications of his or her research, the scientist should continue the work in order to effectuate the advantageous applications of the research. Cessation of research eliminates society’s opportunity to benefit from scientific progress. For instance, although some scientists may have been morally uncomfortable with creating atomic bombs during World War II, copious valuable developments of nuclear technology have emerged since the bombs’ creation. Examples of these

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