Marc Edzel G.

Danao
PCAS-10-401A
AST15 – Astronomy Research I

It has been argued that researchers are not ethically responsible for the misinterpretation or misuse
of their research by others. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I agree with that argument. Let me first discuss a scenario/story:
We all know that the atomic bomb is a weapon that comes from the fast release of energy using
nuclear fission (of course on the nuclei of a heavy atom). It produces a huge blast from the way it was
released, leaving dense radioactivity on the affected area. It was used during World War II by United
States (using the Enola Gay) to Japan in 1945 on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It caused a massive
destruction for both infrastructure and lives from the Japanese people. Behind this weapon is no other
than J. Robert Oppenheimer, or commonly known as “The father of the atomic bomb”.
He is the one who led the Manhattan Project, an R&D project during the second World War, when the
United States joined partially on the Allied Forces in 1939 until becoming a full part in 1941. It disbanded
on post-World War in 1947. Oppenheimer (with his colleagues) use the research of Enrico Fermi (for the
nuclear reactor), Otto Hahn, and Fritz Strassman (both for splitting a Uranium atom for nuclear physics
progress) to make his own research and calculation for making the bomb. They produced two atomic
weapons derived from the said researchers. Their weapons were the primarily concern during the Cold
War, even now. Because of Oppenheimer’s doing, the nuclear ethics is born. It is said to their policy that
“no one are responsible for making nuclear weapons except to its maker, no other than their origin”. Even
Oppenheimer was affected, even saying:

“Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds”

This scenario shows that every researcher has its own limit when it comes to their “research
responsibility”. It is like in real life when you make an object, like an axe, for its cutting wood purposes
and someone use it for killing a people, who should be responsible, you or the killer? Of course, the
killer! You have the limit for the responsibility, and it is all about in purpose. As Fermi, Hahn, and
Strassman get to produce research in nuclear physics that contributes “indirectly’ to war, it is not their
purpose to make a destructive weapon. They did their research for non-vile purposes, to help the
community or the world, to get advanced, not to step backwards. If we don’t agree to that argument, so
the blame should tag it also to Marie and Pierre Curie, who were the pioneers for understanding
radioactivity?
Of course, it started an ethical dilemma on who is “good” or “bad”. But since we are talking about the
“responsibility”, I stand that they are not. It is for the people to take care on how they are using other’s
research. It is for the researcher to take diligence.