Essay
|Science Is a Good Servant But Bad Master
Science
has played a vital role in the progress of mankind. With its discoveries in all
fields of life, it has brought prosperity and material progress to man. It has conquered
the forces of Nature. Pure science is nothing but an exploration of truth and
reality. The scientific spirit which is nothing else, but the spirit of
rationality, inquiry, and method is excellent. Nobody can condemn it. However,
it is the application of science that is responsible for giving comfort to
suffering mankind. Science is good …. very good when it irons our clothes or
cooks our food with the help of electricity and enables us to fly in an
airplane. However, science becomes a curse when it is used to kill mankind.
It
is true that a scientific invention can never be blamed for the tragedy of man.
After all, an atom bomb does not explode of its own accord. It explodes by the
mischief of the devil, called man. There is nothing wrong fundamentally with the atomic bomb or Hydrogen bomb. The spirit of science is very beneficial and
helpful.
But
history shows that the application of science has not been governed by justice.
Science has been applied in several ways to cause suffering and sorrow to
mankind.
First:
The wrong application of scientific Inventions produced unemployment. In the 19th
century, the Industrial Revolution took place due to the inventions of machines. Human
labor was replaced by machines. “Men have become the tools of their
tools”. Workers and laborers were rendered jobless. Industrialism
brought another evil in its wake. It brought into being a new class of
capitalists and laborers. The labor of the workers was exploited by the
industrialists. The industrialists gained much, while the workers gained little.
Two classes of people were born, and the society was divided into two groups. A
constant class battle started. Strikes and lockouts became very common. The application of machinery resulted in the suffering of mankind. Even today,
the conditions are no better. In the modern world, the use of machinery has
given birth to unemployment, inflation, and class distinction.
Secondly:
The
wrong use of science in the social fields has also given birth to many
objectionable trends in life. Science has made man a material beast. The
introduction of machines has made man materialistic. Everybody now runs after
the glitter and glow of life. Money has become the pedestal on which man judges
his social relations with his relatives and dear ones.
In
his rat race to earn money, man has lost touch with the moral and spiritual
values of life. The sanctity of the joint family system has been ruined. Art, Literature, and religion have been revised under the overwhelming influence of materialism. The life of man has become artificial. In spite of new medicines and modern
methods of surgery, the standard of health has not been improved. Millions of
people still die of diseases and ailments which modern science has failed to diagnose.
Science
has robbed a man of his inner bliss. It has made his life mechanical and
artificial. Man has become a greedy beast who aims at grabbing everything he
sees. He has been deprived of moral qualities such as contentment, patience,
and sacrifice. The fast tempo of life, which science has brought in, is eating
away the very vitals of human happiness. In spite of all material progress, man
is still confronted with ignorance, illness, and hunger.
Thirdly:
The
wrong application of science in the field of armament and weapons cannot be
defended by any person. It has made war a destructive and senseless adventure.
The invention of poisonous gases and the dread of chemical materials have made
war a very horrible game. The sophisticated weapons of war like atom bombs,
hydrogen bombs, computerized missiles, and poisonous gases are some of the gifts
of science. They caused wholesale destruction in the war. No country today can
escape harm in a war. Almost every great thinker has denounced and condemned
war. Swift addresses it as ‘that mad game the world so loves to play’.
Thus goes a German proverb. ‘A great war leaves the country with three
armies- an army of crippled, an army of mourners, and an army of thieves.’