Scientific explorations result from the desire or requirement to explain certain unknowns. Scientists recognized or studied today are those that were once able to elucidate scientific mysteries, such as Pavlov’s illumination of behavioral response or Mendel’s simple explanation of genetic inheritance. In these situations, the outcome of the investigation had significant social implications. People later recognized the importance of such findings, and pressed for more information. This resulted in the continuation, even to present-day, of research in the fields of behavioral psychology and genetics. Therefore, societal and social interest in early scientific examinations provides the building blocks that support modern or more advanced research of the same fields.
Oftentimes, the types of scientific research performed are those that supply information needed in a particular societal context. If a certain epidemic breaks out in an area, for example, scientists may gear their research toward the cure for the illness.
On a much larger scale lies the example of the historically, socially, and scientifically significant experimentation revolving around both space exploration and the creation of the atomic bomb. During the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia both strived to be the leading country in space exploration. When the Russians released Sputnik, John F. Kennedy decided it was crucial to surpass Russian abilities; in the early 1960’s he pledged that a man would land on the moon within a decade. JFK, and later President Johnson, knew that having a U.S. astronaut land on the moon would stir self-esteem and nationalism into the American mind. Aware of this, it was only right to avidly pursue scientific research in this field.
A similar example, the researching of atomic weapons, demonstrates how societal emotion and reason had a hand in the study of the atomic bomb. In the heated times of WWII, the most powerful nations involved in the conflict became a part of a cutthroat arms race. America knew that the only way to quickly end the war, no matter how devastating, was to be the nation with the bomb. Scientific research was provoked, primarily, by the rationale that America needed to have the bomb in order to stand dominant through the war so as to remain a world power. Additionally, emotions about the war soared to a new level as American’s feared the loss of more and more soldiers. Due to reason and heightened emotions in society, atomic research became the forefront of science in this era.
Although it seems conclusive that social climate greatly influences scientific works, there are fallacies of the argument. Firstly, this thesis is limited by the fact that it does not reflect any social bearing upon the methods used to research. Most importantly, it is necessary to recognize that this thesis cannot be truly verified. There is no way to prove that certain research would or wouldn’t have been done without the social context that surrounded it. For example, if Mendel had not originally investigated genetics or Pavlov had not defined stimulus-response behaviors, there is no way to confirm that these studies would have not been more or less culturally significant if they had been performed in other cultural settings.
In the end, it is most reasonable to assert that social climate and context directly influences what scientific unknowns are investigated. This is best demonstrated by such crucial and recognized scientific breakthroughs as space exploration and the atomic bomb, both of which directly resulted from societal pressure gain such scientific knowledge. Clearly, the progression and situation of society goes hand in hand with that of the scientific world.