Science has all along been the most vital force in the development of human civilisation and rapid advancement of mankind. It is impossible to think of present day civilisation without science. Science has given us innumerable gifts. The towering skyscrapers, air conditioned auditoriums, supersonic aeroplanes communication satellites, electronic devices and above all explorations of space and deep oceans, owe their existence to science. Our forefathers were never so well off as we are today.
We can talk to our friends and relations across the seven seas, we can fly at a speed of more that of sound, we can dive to the deepest bottom of oceans and go up to the moon. Science has given us material wealth. It has made machines, which do almost everything for us. Scientific discoveries have conquered many diseases. It has dispelled a lot of ignorance.Technology has freed us from hard labour, it has multiplied production resulting in more and more comfort and leisure for mankind. In short, modern civilisation is a creation of science. It is an Alladin's lamp that man has wrested from nature's hands.
But there is other side of coin. Science has deprived us of mental peace. Hurry. worry and restlessness are the salient features of the civilisation fostered by science. Our forefathers were never so worried as we are. The fights of science has made the rich richer and the poor poorer. A large population in the world is living in slums. It is diseased and underfed. There is large scale un-employment. The atomic age has ushered in an era of death on mass scale with greater probabilities of sudden destruction and even complete annihilation of mankind.
Weapons like atom bombs and hydrogen bombs have terrorized humanity. Satellites have opened up new possibilities of attack from space. A satellite with an atomic warhead can cause destruction so quickly and suddenly that even a computer-ized anti missile defence action will be useless. the poisonous gases invented by scientists are capable of inducing eternal sleep to large multitude. Goodness, that is the real source of human happiness, has been completely eroded by science. To sum up, science has on the one hand given us powers fit for the gods, on the other hand it has destroyed our peace.
Intrinsically there is nothing wrong with science. It is neither good nor evil, it is moral science has been defined as accumulated, synthesized and systematized knowledge. It is not to be blamed for the destruction caused by atomic weapons. The blamed lies at the doors of men who have chosen to use this store of power for their selfish ends. It is the wickedness in man that has sullied the fair name of science. Science is just like any other tool in the hands of man, who is free to use it for constructive as well as destructive purposes. How is science to blame if some person is electrocuted while binding a fuse wire or some persons die as a result of an air crash!
However, it cannot be denied that scientists have misused science by using it for destructive purposes. But before fixing the responsibility for the destructive rule of science on the scientists, We should very clearly understand what is meant by a scientist. Broadly speaking those who apply the knowledge of science an and also those who apply the knowledge of science are known as scientists. It has to be borne in mind that it is one thing to pursue knowledge, while it is a quite different thing to apply it.
For example , if a scientist discovers a new fact or arrives at a certain formula or equation governing a certain physical phenomenon, he is as much a scientist as one who applies that fact, formula or equation for a good or bad purpose. A man is not to blame if he pursues knowledge being inspired by the spirit of inquiry. How can we find fault with him if the findings of his inquiry are afterwards used by other for evil purpose. So, the question of responsibility hardly arises in the cases of those who make inquiries in the realm of science, while it does arise in the case of those who apply the results of such inquiries for evil purposes.
We can talk to our friends and relations across the seven seas, we can fly at a speed of more that of sound, we can dive to the deepest bottom of oceans and go up to the moon. Science has given us material wealth. It has made machines, which do almost everything for us. Scientific discoveries have conquered many diseases. It has dispelled a lot of ignorance.Technology has freed us from hard labour, it has multiplied production resulting in more and more comfort and leisure for mankind. In short, modern civilisation is a creation of science. It is an Alladin's lamp that man has wrested from nature's hands.
But there is other side of coin. Science has deprived us of mental peace. Hurry. worry and restlessness are the salient features of the civilisation fostered by science. Our forefathers were never so worried as we are. The fights of science has made the rich richer and the poor poorer. A large population in the world is living in slums. It is diseased and underfed. There is large scale un-employment. The atomic age has ushered in an era of death on mass scale with greater probabilities of sudden destruction and even complete annihilation of mankind.
Weapons like atom bombs and hydrogen bombs have terrorized humanity. Satellites have opened up new possibilities of attack from space. A satellite with an atomic warhead can cause destruction so quickly and suddenly that even a computer-ized anti missile defence action will be useless. the poisonous gases invented by scientists are capable of inducing eternal sleep to large multitude. Goodness, that is the real source of human happiness, has been completely eroded by science. To sum up, science has on the one hand given us powers fit for the gods, on the other hand it has destroyed our peace.
Intrinsically there is nothing wrong with science. It is neither good nor evil, it is moral science has been defined as accumulated, synthesized and systematized knowledge. It is not to be blamed for the destruction caused by atomic weapons. The blamed lies at the doors of men who have chosen to use this store of power for their selfish ends. It is the wickedness in man that has sullied the fair name of science. Science is just like any other tool in the hands of man, who is free to use it for constructive as well as destructive purposes. How is science to blame if some person is electrocuted while binding a fuse wire or some persons die as a result of an air crash!
However, it cannot be denied that scientists have misused science by using it for destructive purposes. But before fixing the responsibility for the destructive rule of science on the scientists, We should very clearly understand what is meant by a scientist. Broadly speaking those who apply the knowledge of science an and also those who apply the knowledge of science are known as scientists. It has to be borne in mind that it is one thing to pursue knowledge, while it is a quite different thing to apply it.
For example , if a scientist discovers a new fact or arrives at a certain formula or equation governing a certain physical phenomenon, he is as much a scientist as one who applies that fact, formula or equation for a good or bad purpose. A man is not to blame if he pursues knowledge being inspired by the spirit of inquiry. How can we find fault with him if the findings of his inquiry are afterwards used by other for evil purpose. So, the question of responsibility hardly arises in the cases of those who make inquiries in the realm of science, while it does arise in the case of those who apply the results of such inquiries for evil purposes.
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