Science, Technology, and Society
Core concepts
Science and technology shape society, and social priorities shape science. Candidates should understand evidence-based reasoning, peer review, reproducibility, and the difference between a scientific consensus and an individual claim. Technology applications raise risk–benefit, ethical, legal, and environmental questions: genetic engineering, gene therapy, cloning, stem cells, vaccines, antibiotics, and renewable energy. Bioethics includes informed consent, privacy, equitable access, and unintended consequences. Environmental policy uses cost–benefit analysis, precaution, and sustainability. Media literacy matters: distinguish primary research from press releases, anecdotes from controlled studies, and correlation from causation. Risk perception is influenced by familiarity, voluntariness, and media coverage, not just actual probability.
Traps
Anecdotes and testimonials are weak evidence. Natural does not mean safe. A hazard is a potential source of harm; risk combines hazard and exposure. Scientific consensus can shift with new evidence but is not a popularity contest. Antibiotic resistance evolves because of selection, not because the body gets used to antibiotics.
Worked example
A supplement ad claims users felt better in one week. Evaluate by asking: Was there a control or placebo group? Was assignment randomized? How large and representative was the sample? Were results peer-reviewed and replicated? Without those, the claim is not reliable evidence. Rule of thumb: controlled, replicated, peer-reviewed evidence outweighs anecdote.