The phenomenal advancement of science and its wider implications in all walks of man’s life have brought human civilization to amazing heights. The awful miseries and ignorance of the hellish past have been virtually eliminated by the miraculous inventions and discoveries. Science has opened and enlarges new frontiers of human knowledge, information, achievements and comforts. So nothing better has taken place in history of man than the advent of science in his life. But some people still believe that science has done more harm than good and it is thus a menace to civilization
“Men love to wonder and that is the seed of science “Emerson, ‘Society and solitude ‘
This passage from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light, from superstitions to scientific temper has been a long struggle, full of strife, labor, sweat and challenges.
If our ancestors were to visit our today’s world, they would not be able to recognize it due to the marvels of science. In days before science, people were condemned to live totally different lives. They were at the mercy of the elements of nature. Earth, air, fire and water were worshipped as gods because they ruled man’s life most powerfully. He was utterly helpless whenever floods came or tempests set in. Briefly, man was absolutely powerless to govern nature. Science has admirably helped bring him mastery over land, sea and air. Even the vast expanse of space and extreme depths of the scars are no more mysteries for human beings. Easy and quick communications have shortened time and space to unbelievable extent and the world today is much closer unit than ever in the past
“Science is always simple and profound. It is only the half-truths that are dangerous” George Bernard Shaw, ‘The Doctor’s Dilemma’
In the fields of the medicine and surgery, science does claim splendid triumphs. The discovery of penicillin and the method of vaccination are wondrous deeds of medical science. Even the most difficult surgical operation is performed with a lot of ease and safety. So, science has become our most faithful medical attendant. It has cured human beings of many painful diseases. It has given us supreme power to keep epidemics in check. People are no longer ravaged by the deadly epidemics like small pox, cholera and plague. Countless new life saving drugs has been discovered to relieve humanity. There is hardly any disease today, which can be called incurable. Typhoid pneumonia and other infectious diseases are being treated with the new antibiotic medicines, which were not known to the world a few years ago.
“Happy is he who has been able to learn the causes of things “– Virgil, ‘Georgics’
Another great job that this great does for us it to educate. Science has built great printing passes, which produce a large number of books at cheap rates expel ignorance from mankind. The discovery of electricity has worked wonders in all walks of human life. News is brought to us from every corner of the world through the newspaper, radio, television or internet. Computer is also a supreme wonder of science as it has opened up endless vista for mankind. Even children are finding computers better than toys. Today, Computer is being used in educational Institutions banks, factories, offices, shops and homes. It has made life so different and so much easier.
Science has brought about a great transformation regarding the relations among various countries. Science has linked them with one another through trade and commerce. Goods manufactured in one country are sold in other thousands of miles away. Man has come closer to man. It is now possible to talk about all men on this planet as neighbors.
The means of communication have also made dramatic progress due to science, The telephone, the wireless, the telegraph, the postal system, the fax machine and the internet have made it fairly easy and quick to communicate with friends, relatives and colleagues living or working abroad.
Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night: God said, “Let Newton Bel” and all were light.
Alexander pope, ‘Epitaph Written for Newton’
Most believably, this century is regarded as an age of machines. They remain all around modern man and help them in hundreds of different ways. There is hardly any field or area devoid of their presence. Whether it is education or health, industry or transport, entertainment or communication, war or agriculture, fashions or domestic comforts, all is marked with machines, which are working day and night to serve humanity in ta great manner. Today’s man cannot do without refrigerator, air conditioner , electric fan, air cooler, electric iron, VCR, dish antenna and various other electronic instruments. The ever increasing demand of building material, namely bricks, cement, iron beams, logs of wood, etc. Is being fulfilled with the use of scientific methods. Science has also provided us with a great number of labor saving devices. Human labor is no longer required even in house hold chores.
The scientific instruments and devices are there to clean the rooms, to wash the dirty clothes, to bake the bread, to cook the curry and even to knead the flour. So, science has proved a real boon for the poor housewife. Now, she is no more needed to remain always busy in the kitchen. She has got time to enjoy her leisure, study newspapers and magazines and attend children in a much better way.
“Science says the first word on everything, and the last word on nothing.”
Victor Hugo, “Things of the infinite”
There are some of the mental and psychological advantages we have got from science and its application to life. It has virtually got our minds free from the bondage of superstitions and ignorance. Admittedly, Knowledge gives power while ignorance causes weakness. The habits of reasoning, inquiring and questioning are the laudable gifts of science. We do this when we control our passions prejudices and sentiments. So, the world of science is literally a world of order, efficiency and reason that increases our power over nature and helps us to raise our standard of life
Science is the knowledge of consequences and the dependence of one fact upon another.
Thomas Hobbes, ‘Leviathan’
Despite all the inventions and discoveries, science could never prove itself to be unmixed blessing for the human race. Science has, no doubt, made man’s life more comfortable, healthy and bright, but it also brought about certain complications and problems. Firstly, man is exposed to new temptations and thrown into confusion due to amazing and unexpected discoveries and inventions of science. He is not in position to determine his goal of his life with grim finality. Secondly, modern technology has virtually impaired craftsmanship and thousands of skilled persons are condemned to work in the factories and mills as ordinary laborers. Thirdly, Science develops our heads and brains, but weakens our heart and souls. Such things as kindness, love, devotion, worship and spiritual prospects do not flourish in a world. Fourthly, science has made modern man’s outlook grossly materialistic. With the progression of time, he is becoming more and more selfish and greedy. He seems to have forgotten even the basic virtues of humanity, namely affections, content, sacrifice and charity. Lastly, we are terribly afraid of atomic wars. There have been more destructive wars since the dawn of modern science than ever before. The entire human race has thus been brought on the verge of massive destruction due to the achievements of science.
“Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind”
Albert Einstein
So we can sum up with the words that science is only a tool. The harm or good it does depend on how men use it. It is knowledge, it is power, a boon and a gift, a key to unlock the secrets of nature. If we misuse it, we are the blame. Science has got the potential to turn our earth into a paradise but it must not get divorced completely from the realm of morality and ethics. So, we must develop our moral, social and political sciences along with our physical and biological science. We should maintain our interest in finer things of life such as art, literature and philosophy. We should not be entirely dependent on science, for science can only and years to our lives, but it is up to us to add life to these years
“ What is now proved was once only imagined “
