Science and Technology

Do you think science and technology has done more good than Bad? Consider all the aspects, from the inpact on daily life, on medical science(our health), on the environment, on ethics, on human nature, on the physical, mental and social and spiritual development of a human being.

sci n tech (as growth engine for farming),(env-come up wif clean tech to combat global env prob),(save lives through discovery of drugs-medical) BAD-allowed elderly woman to give birth n compromise rights of baby

In the wake of the South Korean stem cell debacle, the issue of whether science and technology has brought us more harm than good becomes more pertinent than ever. Such an incident might have marred the image of the scientific community and caused the morals of science to be undermined. However, this should not discount the innumerous benefits that science has brought. It is in my opinion that science has brought more good than harm in terms of helping to improve lives of farmers, to come up with green technology to combat global environmental problems, to save innumerable lives through the breakthrough discoveries of medicinal drugs as compared to the "misuse" of it to allow elder women to give birth.

Firstly, science and technology has empowered farmers in remote regions with advanced farming knowledge that would greatly increase their yields to improve their standards of living. In India, ITC has established 5500 "e-choupal" kiosks that allows farmers access to local weather conditions, soil-testing techniques and other expert knowledge that helps increase productivity through the use of the Internet. Moreover, farmers can even get the best price for their products as well as buy necessities at reasonable prices. In this aspect, science and technology has brought great benefits to the farmers of India because now they can grow better crops and sell their produce at better prices to improve their lives. Also, their markets are also greatly enlarged and they can bypass the middleman to earn more profits. Buying and selling is much easier now. Science and technology acts as an effective weapon against poverty as even poor farmers who had little knowledge of the farming techniques are able to utilise the Internet to improve their lives.

Secondly, science and technology facilitates the development of clean, green technology to combat climate change that will lead to drastic events in the world that will seek to threaten the very existence of mankind. Global climate change is a serious problem that may lead to the rising of sea levels that will sink numerous low-lying countries around the world. Rising temperatures will kill off many species of organisms globally. In order to prevent all these doomsday scenarios, we have to address the situation promptly. The Kyoto Protocol has been in place for many years to make countries reduce their carbon dioxide emissions but so far, many countries have failed to meet their required targets. Moreover, the United States(US), the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, has refused to ratify the protocol as it is not financially viable. There is little the protocol can actually do. As such, science and technology is necessary to invent new technologies that will help to mitigate the global climate problem. For example, more hydrogen fuel cars will help to reduce exhaust gas emissions from motor cars, more renewable energy sources like hydroelectric power can be used to replace conventional sources from fuels. All these will serve to reduce the strain on the environment and Earth's resources and benefit the world as a whole, showing that science and technology indeed brings about advantages to the vast majority of mankind.

Thirdly, science and technology has aided in the discovery of many medicinal drugs that have cured innumerous diseases that were once thought to be incurable. The discovery of penicillin has helped to treat many debilitating diseases, among them syphilis, and saved the lives of many. In this aspect, it is unrefutable that science and technology has brought many benefits to mankind. However, with the increasing focus on genetic forms of treatment nowadays, there have been serious concerns raised about the treatment of lab subjects and whether we are compromising the lives of embryos to do experiments just to save the majority of mankind. These are valid concerns, but they cannot discount the fact that science and technology has indeed saved many lives and will continue to do so in future, if and only if, the pace of research is not stifled. Of course, it is necessary that research occurs within stated ethical guidelines and does not endanger any lives in the process.

However, there could be misuse of science and technology which would bring harm to man. Such harm might not only be physical harm, as in the creation of weapons of destruction to kill people in wars, but also undermining of some ethical issues in society as well. In a recent case, Romanian professor Adriana Iliescu, who is 66 years old, gave birth to a baby, aided by the advanced technology of in-vitro fertilisation. Critics have protested against this as they say that this should not be the case as the child will have no one to protect her when the woman grows old. Science and technology has brought disadvantages because it allows such things to happen. The general consensus among critics would be that elder women should not be allowed to give birth as this is not normal. In my opinion, even though science and technology has allowed such things to happen, it is not the fault of the technology itself but how people has utilised it, as in the case of doctors and terrorists likewise. In this case of the Romanian professor, she is confident enough to care for her child appropriately so there is actually no harm in fulfilling her wish to have a baby through the use of technology.

In conclusion, science and technology has indeed brought about many benefits to mankind, in the aspects of farming, medicine and environment. Even though sometimes it is misused, the many feats that it has accomplished for mankind cannot be discounted in the light of these few errant situations. It is not too optimistic to expect that science and technology will continue to benefit mankind in the many years to come.


(ALTERNATIVE APPROACH: talk about one aspect every paragraph and then compare the good and bad parts of each aspect, eg. in farming, pesticides polluting environment vs its effects on increasing yield.)