Hello, I wrote a quick Issue Essay in preparation for my GRE. I found myself pretty short on time, but nonetheless here it is. I welcome constructive feedback.
Prompt: Government funding for purely scientific endeavors, such as space exploration should be reduced in order to direct more funding toward humanitarian science projects.
Essay:
As children, our teachers taught us that we could be anything and do whatever we dreamed. “People have landed on the moon,” they’d tell us, “anything is possible!” This exploration into the unknown, for the mere sake of exploration, inspired a generation of scientists and engineers to pursue science. While it may seem a fruitless effort, purely scientific pursuits result in boundless rewards for humanity, if indirectly.
Since the beginning, humans have been given the ability to wonder about the unknown, to search for explanations for the holes in their knowledge; this yearning is what has pushed us into the modern era. Scientists looked at the skies for generations until finally Kepler developed a telescope powerful enough to study the skies. Where would we be today if we had never developed telescopes and further refined our lens technology? Furthermore, this allowed us to understand the laws that govern the universe itself. Gravity, elliptical orbits, etc, were all discovered by Kepler. Likewise, today we have managed to develop technology with the pursuit of space exploration. GPS would not be possible if we did not have the technology to sent satellites into space. While space travel may appear to simply be an effort to satisfy our everlasting curiosity about the unknown, it results in various technologies being invented that positively affect our lives.
That is not to say that funds cannot be allocated to humanitarian projects, but undoubtedly there is room for both. Research into antibiotic resistance, GMOs, climate change, etc would surely benefit humankind and funds can be used toward these efforts. If they aren’t, we will surely be in trouble within a few generations time. The majority of our funds should be dedicated to these endeavors - and they are. Nassau funding is only a small fraction of the overall budget toward scientific research. It is best if we maintain this course and retain the current budgeting of scientific funding; this will maximize the benefits of both types of research.
Purely scientific pursuits not only have the ability to inspire and motivate a generation of young minds, but it creates a wealth of technology that can be used to benefit society. Humanitarian projects will benefit us, as well, but its important to maintain funding for both.