Comment on the "Declaration of the Academic Freedom" by D. Rabounski (Letters TO PROGRESS IN PHYSICS‪)‬

At least four major misconceptions gravely affect science and technology today, and the progress of scientific and technological research. These misconceptions are related to a utilitarian view of science, whereby large-scale collaborations and institutions of higher learning are conceived of as the only means for developing science and technology, where scientific publication is the sole aim of scientific research, within a commercial view of the nature of these human endeavours and activities. It is revealed herein just how abusive and destructive these misconceptions are, and to what great extent they now plague society. In complementing D. Rabounski's recent Declaration of the Academic Freedom, scientific and technological research should reaffirm its free, universal and critical nature, as a source of human dignity and honour, honesty and lucidity. Unfortunately, a despicable vulgarization of science and technology has led nowadays to a widely held relativism and uncertainty, which is employed as a theoretical ideology for manipulation and domination, placing human society in great peril. Science and technology has changed human life essentially and irreversibly, both personal and social, the environment, and created a new, artificial world with profound cultural implications at the level of human behaviour, psychology and mentality. Human society today depends essentially on science and technology, to the point that life on Earth can be irreversibly damaged by the loss of science and technology. The only thing today that still remains outside the scope of science and technology is the creation of life, although basic modification of life is already present, and destroying life by science and technology is routine. Today's science and technology teaches us that the planet Earth, the Solar System, and perhaps the whole Universe, are very likely casual, and perhaps not eternal. It is therefore much more sensible to do everything possible to preserve life, for as long as possible.