English

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Science

Science; what is it actually? It is derived from the Latin word scientia, which means knowledge. It is also due to science, that I need to go for a run after I finish typing this essay to promote growth of more neurons to make up for all that I lost after all the thinking on this topic. Sorry to all anti-science guys, but I believe that all of us would still be living in caves and getting all excited about seeing fire if not for science.
Take fire for example. Fire is needed to provide electricity, create warmth and cook food. Without all these functions, people will die due to cold and bacteria in food. But hey, what’s this? “Fire is BAD! It causes the deaths of thousands of people and billions of dollars in damages every year!” Yes, that is valid; as valid as saying that water is bad as it also causes deaths and damage. Science is definitely a double edged sword, but I feel that people who are anti-science have tunnel vision and are only focusing on only one edge of the sword. This doesn’t mean that people who support science are omniscient though.
To evaluate whether science is a menace or not, we have to look at both ends of the sword.
For instance, nuclear power can be used to create bombs and replace fossil fuels for power. In the end, it is not science’s fault that there are certain diabolical people who exist only to kill people and thus only want to create bombs. Science merely provides the knowledge, and it is up to man to decide how they use this knowledge.
An example of the double edged sword would be the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. The way products were manufactured was changed and more efficient sources of power were utilized. However, this also paved the way for coal being the main power producer of the world, which releases carbon dioxide, which is bad for our environment, blablabla. Without the industrial revolution, humans will be faced with a lot of problems, such food production being unable to keep up with population growth. Saying the Industrial Revolution is bad is akin to saying that fire is bad. One cannot ignore the fact that science has brought negative effects, but one also cannot ignore the positive effects.
Science also brought large benefits, especially to the medical field. Because of better knowledge of the causes of illnesses and ways to treat it, you don’t see that much people dying from pneumonia and viruses such as the cold virus don’t seem that deadly now. With the knowledge of how illnesses take place, we will then be able to find ways to solve it. This prolongs the life expectancy of a person, and reduces the suffering of sick people. Now that is definitely not a menace to society.
One must face the truth. Science is a double-edged sword. There is no entity so perfect that it does not bring about any bad points. We can either choose to mope over the fact that there is imperfection in this world, or strive to make use of the plus points of things. I believe, that science itself is only a platform, and it is ultimately us, humans, that decide whether to use it or not, or use it for good or bad.

2:48 PM