An end to war. A human colony on Mars.
Novel cancer therapies.
These are but a few of the responses to
the 2007 Edge Annual Question, “What
are you optimistic about?”
Every year, Edge, a website devoted to
science, poses a question to its contributors.
(Previous questions include “What is
Your Dangerous Idea?” and “What is the
Most Important Invention in the Past Two
Thousand Years?”)
This year, 161 leading scientists and
thinkers share what they are optimistic
about _ and why. Some of their causes for
optimism are simple (new children will be
born); others, complex (hope that the longawaited
physics experiments set to begin
this year at the Large Hadron Collider in
Switzerland will lead to exciting discoveries
about matter, gravity and the world.)
Some write of their hopes for humanity:
optimism that people will “increasingly
value truth (over truthiness),” that they’ll
continue to display a “core decency” and
that they’ll take advantage of the fact that,
for the first time, the majority of humankind
“is connected and has a voice.” Others
write of their hopes for science: artificial
intelligence, treatments for diseases,
ways to see beyond our cosmic horizon and
learn more about the universe.
Almost all of the responses are compelling.
(To see them yourself, go to
http://edge.org/q2007/q07_index.html).
Reading them made me
think about how I would
answer the question, as
a layperson setting aside
small, personal hopes for
a moment to consider the
big picture.
I’m optimistic about
the future of medicine.
Both the science and the
technology to support it
are moving forward with
great speed. The Human
Genome Project opened
huge doors, stem-cell research
holds tremendous
promise, and there’s no
question that both will
lead to new cures, better treatments, and
ultimately, the chance for longer, moreproductive
lives.
I’m optimistic about medical research
even while I realize that as much as we
learn and discover, we will never be able
to cure every disease and solve every problem.
There will always be new diseases
and conditions, created by the evolution of
our species, our environment and even our
culture. We’ve nearly eradicated smallpox
and polio, but we’ve got AIDS, obesity and
the threat of a bird flu pandemic. We can’t
know what question will arise next, but I’m
optimistic that we’ll never stop looking for
answers.
This work is complicated by the fact
that sometimes, we eliminate one threat
while unwittingly contributing to another.
For example, public health efforts
and our obsession with cleanliness have
reduced or wiped out many infectious
diseases in the industrialized world, but
they may also have led to the increasing
rate of autoimmune disorders such as
asthma, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis
and inflammatory bowel disease.
Doctors and scientists are testing the
theory that our bodies need certain kinds
of parasitic worms, and without them, our
immune systems can malfunction. New
therapies for inflammatory bowel disease
are already being developed based on this
research, and scientists are hopeful that
it will also lead to better treatments for
other autoimmune diseases.
I’m optimistic that climate change and
the need for alternative energy sources
will soon become top priorities for the
U.S. government. For the first time, it truly
seems possible that things will start to
change in big ways. Thanks to the movies,
the media and high gas prices, people are
more aware of these issues. Even conservative
religious leaders are acknowledging
that global warming exists. The prospect of
a new president is further cause for hope.
It’s also encouraging to see so many scientists
expressing optimism about these
issues. Their ideas range from establishing
a system of personal carbon credits to
capturing solar energy using nanotechnology.
I love the vision presented by neurobiologist
William Calvin of a world where
people travel by rapid transit system or in
electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles;
get their power from wind farmers and
solar panels; and, instead of driving to
brightly lit superstores, walk to neighborhood
markets.
Mostly, I’m optimistic that so many
people answered the question.
Scientists are always searching for answers
and looking for ways to improve
things. If they are driven by hope for a
better world, that’s good news for the rest
of us. As long as people with the power to
effect change are asking questions, imagining
possibilities and working for the common
good, there’s cause for optimism.
___
Lisa Miller is a freelance writer who
lives in Oneonta. She can be reached at
lisamiller44@hotmail.com.
