Please Comment on my issue task. Scientists and other researchers should focus.......

[trying my best]

Scientists and other researchers should focus their research on areas that are likely to benefit the greatest number of people.

 

An uber successful research or a revolutionary invention that benefits the “greatest number of people” typically has to be one that fulfils the basic needs of the masses. However, as depicted by the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, necessities of a population are cultures, time or place specific. Thus, though counterintuitive to many, scientists and researchers should focus their studies on a wide array of areas.

 

Physiological and security needs such as food, water and safety might be the most vital concerns plaguing the developing nations while most developed countries would have advanced to satiating their social and self-actualisation desires. In addition, the degree to which all these requirements are a bane differs largely between countries. Therefore, this gap evident across the world justifies for varied findings by scientists - not at the expense of some smaller more diverse sects of people.

 

Mark Zukerenberg (MZ), an avid computer programmer, created the Facebook during his college days purely as a networking site to list the faculty and to rate the attractiveness of fellow students. However, currently, Facebook has truly defined an “online connected world” and redefined online marketing in many unlikely facets of life including healthcare. Apart from its most well-known use of making new friends around the world and keeping in contact with family; it is increasingly being adopted by physicians to treat, teach and learn (marketing of health procedures, wellness benefits etc. )from their patients and fellow doctors. If MZ had focused on the “most beneficial areas”, the world would not have seen an unseemly invention whose value and potential continues to revolutionise the way we perform our day to day activities.

 

Just as many languages cease to exist today, if demand specific research is pursued, subjects such as paleontology, linguistics and folk art will vanish from the face of the earth. Intuitively, though these areas of study may seem unimportant to the vast majority, their findings hold answers to mysteries that would otherwise be left unanswered by traditional branches of research. For instance, paleontology is the study of secrets our fossils have hidden of our past. With the discoveries on pollen and spores unearthed by a paleontologist; a biologist could find the key to increase the corn output by multi-fold.

 

In contrast, some might argue that, a concentrated exploration in a traditional field would yield better returns of investment on the invention as the demand for the prototype is defined prior to the commencement of the study. Though, from a financial perspective this is a sound argument, this is based on the assumption that the scientists will be capable of pushing the boundaries continually to achieve new frontiers.

 

In conclusion, a concerted effort to bring about the maximum benefit to the majority may reap limited results as opposed to a diverse study in varied areas.