Science has made our life better in myriad ways over the past couple of hundred years or so. Our forefathers could not imagine the comforts and amenities it has brought to us today. Man is in a position to control and direct nature, conquer time and space as well as fashion his own destiny to a large extent. Science has completely transformed the face of Earth during the last 200 years. It has changed our outlook and refashioned our hopes, dreams and aspirations.
On the credit side, Science has made communications easier. Man leads a healthier and happier life today because of the advances made in healthcare, entertainment and general welfare. Travel has become faster and quicker. The printing technology and the electronic media have brought education to the common man. Science has found cures for most diseases, except cancer and AIDS today. Man has landed on the Moon and spacecraft are busy exploring life on other planets. It has helped us face natural calamities and revolution industry and agriculture. We gape in wonder and admiration at the triumphs and achievements of Science, which has proved to be a boon to mankind.
But there is the reverse side of the coin also. Science has unleashed on us unprecedented weapons of mass destruction. The two atomic explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II in 1945 have made aware of the death and destruction Science can bring about if it is used in war. The tremendous progress in armaments has made this world a dangerous place to live in. All the progress made by human civilization over thousands of years can be brought to naught at the mere touch of a button. No part of the world today is safe because of the hovering satellites that map all our activities even in the remotest parts of Earth and can bring about terror and untold destruction in a matter of seconds. Some of the best scientific talent in the world is engaged in devising and inventing means to destroy this planet at the behest of their political masters. In this sense, Science has proved to be a Frankenstein monster. It controls our existence at every Step.
Science can be beneficial to mankind only when it is used for the general good as a servant. But it becomes our master if we let it overpower us and our natural instincts. Using the discoveries and inventions of science for mankind’s destruction is not its fault. It is the fault of those who misuse it for their own nefarious ends. The worst instance the use of nuclear power which can be successfully employed for the welfare of man, not for his destruction. Nuclear energy is capable of working wonders for human welfare and happiness. In the wrong hands, it is equally capable of annihilating mankind from the face of Earth. The need, therefore, is to use Science as a benefactor, and not a destroyer, of mankind. It should be our servant, and not allowed to become our master.
