Knowledge and responsibility

http://www.aps.org/about/pressreleases/impris.cfm

Knowledge and responsibility

  I have never doubted why I should go to school and learn knowledge. I took it for granted that knowledge would give me a job and I would live happily after. However, this article shocked me.

  A graduate physics student was imprisoned in Iran because he refused to use his knowledge to work for the government. The reason was simple, that the government’s project is against the human right.  After his refusal, the Iranian government put him into the prison.

  This is the first time I realize that knowledge would get people into big troubles. Then horrible scenes jump into my mind. I recall the movie Resident Evil 4. When people conquer too powerful knowledge, destruction may occur either accidentally or on purpose. Destruction like destroying the earth or spread certain diseases not only violate human rights, but also do harm to all the human beings.

  In this way, knowledge not only is a method for people to pursue better future, but may also become a harmful weapon to destroy the well-being. As a student, when we receive the knowledge from the professors, we are actually also receiving a sense of responsibility, a responsibility to do good for the society!  This also explains why students are required to learn some other classes like history, psychology besides their major classes. These types of social science classes help students build a positive view of the society and lead students not into an evil life.

  Finally, back to the story of the imprisoned student, he was Awarded APS Human Rights Prize for his righteous action towards the government’s action!