The theological challenge

19. The churches can adequately face the threats to human survival today only if they take up the problems and promises of science and technology for the human future. The dialogue initiated by the World Council of Churches with scientists, and technologists, which found its fullest expression in the Conference on Faith, Science and the Future at MIT, needs to be continued and deepened.

20. Among the insights gained in this dialogue so far are:

1. the growing consensus in theology that we must understand God, humanity and nature in relation to one another, a relation which finds its central expression in Christ;
2. the increasing recognition by scientists that science is not a valuefree or neutral activity, but takes place in a world of ethical decisions and values;
3. theology and science operate with different languages which continue to raise problems for the dialogue, which need to be tackled through a deeper understanding, by each discipline, of the other's approaches and limitations;
4. humanity has to recognize the two poles around which and between which life develops and evolves - the Creator and the Creation. The attempt to ignore one of the poles has disastrous consequences.

21. Therefore, conversation between the Church and the world of science and technology should continue on all levels; it should include those who must live with the consequences of technological development. This dialogue is part of the Church's witness to the world's responsibility for the future of creation. It is therefore part of theology and of ecumenical social ethics.

22. Today science and technology are decisively involved in three threats to survival in the contemporary world: the world arms race, economic domination and exploitation, and the ecological crisis. How they are involved, what structures and powers play a role therein, needs more accurate analysis. How they can be made to serve a just, participatory and sustainable society needs to be spelt out continually in practical terms.
In a world of many religions and ideologies, all must be involved in the common search for solutions.

23. Mutual exchange and consultation within the Christian community must be continued. We need ethical guidelines for a participatory society which will be both ecologically responsible and economically just, and can effectively struggle with the powers which threaten life and endanger our future.

Key issues for dialogue

24. It is suggested that the continuing dialogue with the scientific community should focus on the following areas:

1. Technology experienced as destructive power: In the industrialized countries the economic power gained through systems of mass production and distribution has now been more widely diffused. However, the social and environmental costs have been heavy and a price continues to be paid by large numbers of people. The problems arising from pollution and from hazards to health and safety continue to threaten people's lives. In a time of economic recession there is a danger that these problems will be overlooked or accorded a lower priority.
   In the developing countries the use of science and technology by the industrialized nations is perceived as a continuing instrument of domination. Technology is the springboard of modern economic life and in seeking to achieve economic progress these countries feel they are caught in an endless and unwinnable technological race in which they will never be able to play a leading part. The price paid by entire communities is very high. The introduction of advanced technology will almost certainly be destructive of traditional ways of life and the cycle of exploitation of resources and the associated pollution of the environment will be repeated
2. Appropriate technology: Appropriate systems of technological development should take into account indigenous resources and culture in relation to patterns of sustainable development. But the power of science and technology in economic development poses major questions about system's of control that can be exercised particularly by the developing countries. The principal agents involved in technological transfer are the transnational companies, which often distort patterns of development. They can stifle initiative, exercise undue influence on national decision-making and, especially in mixed economics, undermine the public sector. The economic forces deciding the location of a particular industrial plant take little account of the social, cultural and environmental factors governing the lives of whole communities.
   In these circumstances careful attention to forms of appropriate technology drawing on indigenous resources both human and physical fall very quickly by the wayside. The sharing of experience between highly industrialized and less industrialized countries may help to achieve patterns of human development appropriate for varying situations. The churches have an important role in making such sharing possible and in emphasizing that the appropriate technology for a country is the technology which that country can control.
3. Automation, micro-electronics and patterns of employment: New technologies continue to disturb and distort the pace of economic planning. The churches need to keep abreast of these developments and the World Council of Churches has a special role in keeping the churches informed.
   Three facets have been identified:
   
   • technology has tended to lead science, and commercial interests, with practically no public accountability, tend to dominate;
     
   • there is little systematic overall planning, with advance assessment of the social impact of these innovations;
     
   • the idea of technology-led growth is used to Justify harsh economic policies ("automate or liquidate").

Micro-electronics raises questions about technology in a particularly acute form because of its rapid development and the vast range of its applications. Technology may be used to enhance human capacities, to replace them or to transform them. The question is: "What are the ethically appropriate criteria for the adoption of this technology in this particular social and cultural context?"

The control of science and technology

25. Science and technology are both forms of power, and can be used as forces deployed in the struggle for power. Certain forms of direct control are exercised through their social settings, e.g. academic and research institutions, industrial enterprises and departments of governments. But the possibilities of other kinds of control vary. One cannot tell in advance what direction pure science may take, and freedom may here be the paramount consideration. Technology is more controllable, and it may be useful to categorize different technologies in terms of long-term and short-term benefits and disadvantages.

26. In some countries, science and technology are centralized under government control. In all countries governments can exercise some control, but may be unwilling to do so, or may exercise it in destructive ways. Pressure groups can draw attention to the worst abuses. But both governments and pressure groups are part of larger socioeconomic and cultural contexts which themselves may need fundamental changes if science and technology are to serve truly human ends. There is a task for the churches in criticizing expectations and priorities.

27. A wide variety of consultative bodies with public participation can play an important role in developing guidelines for development in science and technology and in monitoring results. Scientists and technologists can also be helped to exercise more discerning control over their own activities. In particular:

1. science education must take social responsibility seriously; scientists in training must not become a separate élite, alienated from the cultural inheritance of their people and unaware of the social and ethical implications of their work;
2. the freedom of scientific research and the free exchange of information are of the essence of science; scientists should be supported in their resistance to the growth of secrecy;
3. the increasing number of organizations concerned with the deepening of conscientious awareness is an encouraging sign, and provides an area for common work between the scientific and religious communities.

Areas of particular concern

28. Bio-ethics: Rapid advances in genetic engineering, in vitro fertilization and related techniques have raised urgent questions about the integritv of human nature, the dignity and value of the human body, the relationship between begetting and parenting, and the social implications of direct interference with the human genetic inheritance. Far-reaching decisions on these matters are already being made, and we believe it is essential for the churches to monitor them and to bring to their discussion a deeper theological understanding of human nature.

29. The Church and Society report on Manipulating Life (1982) highlights some of the issues and we endorse its recommendations. We strongly support the report's recommendation that "scientists throughout the world (should) not participate in any research associated with the production of chemical and biological weapons". We urge that the work begun in that report should be continued and given a stronger theological base. We also note the beneficial effects of genetic technology, especially in agriculture, noting at the same time the possible harmful effects in view of the competition in the world food market. The benefits should become available to all the poor of the world.

30. We draw attention to equally serious issues in bio-ethics such as the use of human beings for scientific research without their full knowledge or clear consent and the indiscriminate export of harmful medicines to third world countries.

31. Energy options: Long-term choices about renewable and nonrenewable energy supplies for all countries still have to be made and injust continue to be a concern for the churches and the WCC.

32. The MIT conference represented a major landmark in Church and Society's energy programme. It followed up the Sigtuna hearing (1975) on the implications of civil nuclear power programmes, and led to a further development of the Energy for my Neighbour Programme. This resulted in a series of third world regional energy consultations. Since MIT, the lowering of demand for petroleum and a defacto moratorium on the construction of new nuclear plants have distorted energy planning. The underlying problem of diminishing supplies of irreplaceable traditional fuels and acute deforestation remain. Following the Harrisburg debacle, the nuclear power industry now seeks to export new varieties of small prefabricated reactors to the third world. This raises major moral, economic and political issues which merit serious evaluation against the background of wider energy issues.

33. The alleviation of the fuel crisis during the next few decades is therefore an issue of desperate urgency for the poorest of the poor, and hence a matter of high priority for the churches of the world.

34. We mention only a few of the technological, ethical and social issues raised by science and technology. In the years ahead there will be many more. It is imperative therefore for the churches to set aside resources and develop appropriate structures to tackle such problems as: the power of technology over culture, the human and social consequences of the continuing technological revolution, criteria and structures for the social control of science and technology, and the new issues in the ongoing dialogue between science and faith.

up / parent page