A scientific mind is one that can make the most of observation.
It has highly-refined imagination and curiosity that makes it possible to carry forward advanced research work. And also it's a bit sceptical about its own work as well as of others, enhancing the accuracy in outcomes.
Also, this is a blend of mind can be developed by anyone. Its not totally related to science or one who studies.
So, with evolution and advancing time, is it possible that the scientific mind also has advanced its level of effective observation?
Its capability to deal with its emotions and working with it, without biasing the results or observations.
A scientific mind can preserve serenity and avoid bias in other arenas in addition to the material world, such as politics and government.
My bigger question is, considering the benefit of the scientific mind, is it possible that it carries some detrimental side effects on society?
The answer is obvious. The scientific mind has been advancing in/with time, and as it has advanced, it has had tremendous "side effects" on society (both good and bad). All you have to do, is study the history of science and or scientists. Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, etc.. Advances in math, physics, cosmology, computers, communications, nuclear power, etc..
I agree with Guill; the "scientific mind" is a two-edged sword.
The age-old debate over the merits and demerits of science and technology is very complex.
Two problems that society is currently struggling to deal with are magnitude and corruption.
Magnitude - Computers and information technology have greatly accelerated scientific advance. One of the side effects is the growing difficulty of learning about the latest advances, let alone debating them. Science without reason or wisdom can be a dangerous thing.
A related problem is the increasing fragmentation of scientists into ever more specialized disciplines. Instead of studying biology, a modern biologists may specialize in some sub-branch of auditory science or a parasite that is only associated with penguins. An army of specialists may have a hard time understanding and communicating with specialists in unrelated fields.
Corruption - At the same time, an increasingly corrupt and powerful global power structure is subverting science for its own ends. Scientific news is commonly suppressed, and bogus scientific articles that support corporate-government entities are being published.
Where people like Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Jacques Cousteau and Carl Sagan once championed the environment, we now have....on second thought, I'm not sure who has taken their place.
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