Science: a Menace to Civilisation?

Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge through observations and experimentations to account for natural phenomena. With more research done and more findings we make, we are able to understand our universe better and science advances very quickly, therefore technology becomes more and more developed. Science and technology is all around us every day. What we have today – computers, mobile phones, and even essential inventions which we usually take for granted such as light bulbs, are all possible because of science. It is man’s curiosity that leads to the development of science for the benefit of mankind. However, science does not benefit us totally as man has exploited the means of science to develop weapons of mass destruction which could take away millions of lives. Despite the pros and cons of science, it all boils down to how man makes use of it. Therefore, I feel that science itself is not a menace to civilisation, but rather it is a matter of how we humans want to do with science.

First of all, it is apparent to most of us that science has brought to us countless of benefits. Improved medical science has enabled us to fight diseases which used to be fatal, including the eradication of smallpox, a human infectious disease which killed hundreds of millions of people in the twentieth century, while technology has brought us aeroplanes and mobile phones which serve for our convenience. Without science, the caves in which man used to live in would not have transformed into our modern skyscrapers. Even most of our items of luxury are made possible because of science. In contrast with the high mortality rates in the previous centuries, advanced science has improved our standards of living greatly such that human’s life expectancy has doubled. Undeniably, many would agree that the benefits science has brought to our lives are indeed very significant.

On the contrary, there are also instances where science is indeed evil and destructive to civilisation. Despite improving the standards of living and bringing about convenience, science has also provided humans with the ability to develop instruments with destructive potential, such as poison gas and nuclear warheads. Perhaps the use of atomic bombs in World War II should be familiar with everyone. Evidently from the statistics, these bombs have caused tremendous damage to the cities, buildings and people. The devastation science can bring about has already been clearly expressed, and probably in the near future, nightmare scenarios of novels such as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World would be realised. Slowly but certainly, the environment is being destroyed in our hands as developments of science and technology in various industries are using the earth’s resources so extensively that a depletion of resources might occur very soon. Therefore, science has also its destructive character and it is a menace to civilisation.

However, whether or not science is a menace to civilisation depends on how humans put it to use. No doubt science has provided us with much convenience and many other benefits, but it has also been exploited in the areas of warfare and research involving the sacrifice of animals during laboratory experiments. How is science to be blamed for bringing about the devastating destruction to civilisation when all these are in fact man’s doings? With that, I feel that science itself is not a menace to civilisation as long as it is being employed in a constructive manner.

To conclude, science has its pros and cons, but ultimately the decision of how it is being used lies upon us humans. By ensuring that we do not abuse the power of science, it would not be a menace to civilisation but instead an essential pillar of civilisation.