Young Writers Society

This is probably one of those essay topics which the teachers love to give us to write about. I must have written about it first, when I was in the sixth standard. For me then, Science was just yet another subject which we had to endure in school and hence, most definitely a bane.

But now, five years hence, I am a lot more aware (at least, I would like to believe so). I now know that Science is not simply about learning the periodic tables, the laws of motion or photosynthesis.

I now know that Science is everywhere around us. From the simplest of tasks like cooking food to the intricacies of the Universe, Science is all around us.

The most fantastic dreams of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne and such have come true. The futuristic worlds they had thought and written about are a reality today.

Today, no one is interested in the miracles of nature, the glitzy spectacles of science far outnumbers and outshines the marvels of nature. Science has far outrun the scriptures and the holy teachings in providing the clandestine answers to the ambiguities we humans tend to have.

We have become so accustomed with the innumerable scientific inventions that we take them for granted and do not even consider how our life would be without them.

The world has become a smaller place today because of the technology Science has gifted us with. Leave aside the rockets and planes, even the humble bicycle is a product of Science only.

Even in the field of communication, man has made advancements in leaps and bounds. When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he probably had no idea that it be so revolutionizing. When Charles Babbage thought about the computer he too might not have foreseen it to dominate every part of life. The telephone and the computer have given us the internet which has given us the e-mail. Also video-conferencing has made it possible for a doctor in one part of the world to instruct his patient's surgery in another part of the world.

In the field of medicine science has given us life in the form of death combating medicines. This has increased the average life of human being by many years.

And when we talk about Science, how can anyone forget Edison’s brainchild, Electricity. Electricity is something that we cannot do without. Electricity powers our lights, fans, computers, refrigerators, TV's, more or less it powers our entire life.

Science has also given us what the current education system cannot do without, Paper. Paper is the basic need of the education system. Books, Question papers, Résumé's, everything needs paper. The world needs paper.
Science has given us a host of other advantages. It has helped in the field of irrigation, sports, real estate...... and the list goes on. Science has practically given us everything.
Every coin has two faces. The same science which has been of such great assistance to mankind has another face. Science which has bestowed us with development, progress, expansion and growth has also brandished us with hostilities, destruction, violence, ruin, devastation, annihilation bloodshed, carnage and obliteration.

The most destructive force science has given us are the nuclear weapons. Modern weapons have the potential to annihilate the entire world in the blink of an eye.

Peace and tranquillity are hard to find today. We hear about wars being fought in some part of the world or the other almost every day. Families are torn apart and friends are lost forever, never to be reunited .By giving birth to weaponry, war craft and armaments it can be indisputably said that science is the root of battles, armed conflicts and international disputes. Thanks to science we are plunging headlong into an era of nuclear wars.

Science has increased our longevity of life, there is no arguing that, but this has also resulted in over population and population explosion. This has resulted in mass deficiency of land. And hence countries are fighting over land and resources with all their might and investing more and more in nuclear weapons.

Like every other thing Science too has its merits as well as demerits. No doubt Science has provided us with the technology to build machinery that threatens the very existence of humankind but hasn’t the same science also given us the countless small and big pleasures of life?

Science is not accountable for the uses it has been put to, it’s the people who use it or misuse will be the more apt word here. Science is merely the means; it is up to us to mould it in a positive productive way.

It has been said that “Science is a good servant but a bad master”. Like the fire which can warm us and keep us safe but can also burn entire forests in its fury, the efficiency of science too depends on the use it is put to.

It is not Science itself that is at fault but us humans. In our quest to make our life simpler and more luxurious, we have turned a blind eye to the damage caused to our mother earth. Our greed to get the most out of everything has made us contemptuously neglect everything else.

The men before us had used science for noble purposes, for discovering the mysteries of the world, for inventing objects that will make our life easier, but we, especially in the last century, have used science for our own selfish purposes blatantly ignoring the needs of others. We have built ships and tanks, guns and bullets, bombs and more bombs, all in a bid to extend our political domination.

Time and again man has misused his powers whether it is muscle power, money, creative power or scientific power. Men is now trying to compete with God, ignoring the countless cures that still need to be found, questions still need to be answered, and devices that still need to be perfected, Men have now proceeded to create and destroy life.
Humans are the only fortunate beings on this earth that have been gifted with intelligence. But, sadly man uses intelligence without wisdom. Dr.Jekyll, the protagonist of Robert Stevenson’s book, had intelligence but no wisdom. He brought out his evil side by using his scientific powers and that ultimately brings an end to his life. If only he would have used his knowledge for a better purpose, for the good of the people, he would have had a different life.

Thus, Science itself is both a boon and a bane. It is we humans, who put it to use, and therefore it is up to us what we make of it.

You prove a very solid and valid point. I have often pondered over those exact theories that you stated plainly. This composition flowed nicely, giving us facts and stimulating someone with wonder. Truly, the world we live in is indeed a deeply evolved and altogether frightening place.

Interesting article but it seems to concentrate on two different themes that of science and that of human morality. Since it is probably a thought provoking work I will not dwell into the structure and the effectiveness of arguments but rather express my humble opinion of this matter. In terms of science I think there is a deep misunderstanding rooted in general public in regards to its essence; I believe partly it is due to the rapid increase and the general appeal of the products of science. Science, in essence, is simply a technique to discover a looking glass through which we can look at the world and the creations of nature. The products of science are not science same as technique to draw is not a painting. A striking example of this are Neanderthals who build efficient tools but, as far as I am aware, had no discipline of science.

Indeed discovering the world through science did prolong our lives and, in general sense, made the life more comfortable. But also an often overlooked observation is that it seems that though science, in part, humanity learned to appreciate human life to a higher degree. Of course, one can argue that science directly contributed to the creation of advanced weaponry and new technology furthers the need for resources, a struggle which often escalates to armed conflicts. However, this is a question of human morality much more so than a question of science. Indeed, if one is to study the course of history even in the briefest of manner one would discover the immense amount of violence and conflicts. In fact, one can then argue that in the age were there was no science present, for example a period of our history known as as Dark Ages, the degree of violence that took place was no more than it is in the present world. And, upon a closer look, it would appear that conflicts arose for exactly the same reason -- desire for more. It seems that in that sense people did not change. In general, I believe, we all desire more. However, if we perceive everything in this world as a cup of water, to drink more is to leave less water for others. Is it not then reasonable and in some sense natural tendency, or rather tendency that seems to be inherent to humanity throughout history and to mammals at large, to protect that cup of water so that you and your country would have enough to drink.

Lastly I would address the matter of overpopulation. It seems that though science the rate of death has indeed significantly decreased; however, it also appears that, at least in part due to that, the birth rate has also significantly decreased. One can then argue that though science humanity decreased, and is come cases eradicated, the instances were death resulted from the bacterial and viral infections. To this, I would respond in a two way manner. Yes though science humans have successfully eradicated infections that more than 100 years or more ago would have unquestionably resulted in death. However, bacteria and viruses are ever evolving, ever changing, while humanity has in some cases managed to create prevention and treatments of some infections in no way does it ensure or protect from future outbreaks or new viruses.

Ultimately, I believe that science is a tool and it is a good and effective tool because it can be successfully applied on a practical level. It is not perfect. However, it is not bad and not evil but in and of itself it is innate. We view it as a good tool because it is effective. But to view the world though science and declare that everything that surrounds is science is rather blunt and, for all intents and purposes, completely inappropriate. What surrounds us is nature, world, universe. What surrounds us is matter; it is not a tool, not a concept but being. Humanity, since the earliest of its existence, attempted to understand that being that matter and developed the systematic way known as science. There is, however, the greatest distinction that lasted and most likely will continue to last indefinitely between matter and since. Matter is something that exists, it is its innate quality, like a building it is there, science is simply a way of looking at a building and adopting it to our convenience for the best comprehensible to us manner. We may look at the building in ways that will in fact make the building appear differently, may stretch it or shrink it, but the building, the matter, will still be the same regardless how we perceive it. In this manner science is and always will be inferior. What we do with science is what we morally choose to do. It is egoistic to blame science for our shortcomings and moral failures. Science does not decide is allows us to decide.

Thank you for your great article. I wanted to talk about my opinion on science for a while but never really had an opportunity or a catalyst to actually do it. I value your opinion and opinions of others and I think that your view is great. This is the view that I developed over 21 years of my life. It might be flawed, might be wrong, but I hope it has given a new perspective to whoever reads it.