Is Science a Boon or Bane?

Every coin has two faces. The same science which has been of such great assistance to

mankind has another face. Science which has forgave us with development, progress,

expansion and growth has also brandished us with hostilities, destruction, violence, and

ruined.

We are in the age of science and technology. Man cannot live without the aid of science.

Science has so much engulfed our lives that nothing can take place in our day to day work

without the help of science. Our food, transport, learning, administration, recreation and

social life are all linked with science in various ways.

There is a drastic change in the lives we are leading today and that we had 30 years ago.

Science has changed the face of the world with great advancements being made in every

field.

Science is the foundation to life and everything in it. To basically sum up science, it usually

explains the "why?" factor. Without science, we do not have the knowledge or

understanding of today's creations. Without physics, we lose the understanding of gravity,

motion and energy. Without Biology, we would not understand life and how it is sustained.

Without Chemistry, there would be no understanding of non-living materials and things

that help contribute and take away life.

Science had made life easier for man. Thanks to science we can travel from one corner of

the world to another within seconds. Transportation has become a million times easier due

to science and technology. Because science invented various means of transport such as

cars, buses, train, truck, aeroplane, ships, submarines, etc. Science had also invented many

means of entertainment and communication like Radio, TV, Tape Recorder, Cinema, VCR,

Computer, Telephone, Mobile phone, etc.

Through telecommunication and technology, science has brought the world closer. Today a

man in India can communicate through the internet to a person in another nook of the

world. Science has truly made us say that this is a small, small world.Infact; the world has

become so small for us that we have started exploring the space and are even thinking of

settlements on Mars and Moon.

Science has done a great service to mankind by giving birth to medical technology. Today,

science has greatly augmented the longevity of life. Once incurable diseases like small-pox,

malaria, cholera, TB, etc. Have completely been eradicated and dreaded maladies like

Cancer are no longer without a remedy. Science had invented many machines to diagnose

critical disease like X-Ray, ultrasonography, CT-Scan, MRI, etc. Medical science is so much

advanced that the average life of an Indian has risen to 62 years from 35 years.

Electricity, as a source of energy, has revolutionized the world. Science has contributed to

the success of our green revolution and now we have enough food for all. We have enough

clothing and better shelter too. All this is possible, because of science so a common man has

to conclude that science is a boon to mankind.

There is the other side of the coin also. That is the other point of view. It is science, which

gave birth to destructive weapons like dynamite, guns, rifles, rockets, atom bombs,

hydrogen bombs, etc. It is science that gave electrical power and nuclear power. If nuclear

power is used for peaceful purposes, there is no need for fear. But after all it is human to

err. Can anyone say that there is no chance of the destruction of a Hiroshima or a Nagasaki

being repeated? If that happens, will not science be a bane of humanity?

Gone are the days when peace used to prevail throughout the world. Today a gun booms in

one corner of the world or another every day. Wars are fought between countries for years

and years together at a stretch. Families are torn apart and friends are lost forever, never to

be reunited .By giving birth to weaponry, war craft and armaments it can be indisputably

said that science is the root of battles, armed conflicts and international disputes.

Leaving that apart, another creation of science is pollution of the environment.

Industrialization with the aid of science has polluted air, water, food and the atmosphere.

The ozone layer is giving threatening signals. So here is a case for man to consider science

as a cause of ruin.

Science is like a knife. A knife can be used to cut vegetables. The same knife can also be

used as a lethal weapon .In the same way science can be used as a tool for the development

but like every coin has another side, science, when it is in wrong hands can be abused. The

exploitation of science can result in several disastrous consequences like nuclear wars,

catastrophic pollution and ruinous bloodshed.

Man is a rational being. He can safeguard himself against all odds. That is how he was able

to conquer and control all other creatures in the world. When the universe reveals more

secrets to man by means of science, there is hope that the present man will become a

superman and eventually science would be only a boon and not a bane of his life.

Science has provided us both the type of ways but it depends on our sense how we can use

the science. We need to use the science for human welfare not for destructive cause. By

proper use of science, earth can be heaven but by misusing science it will not take a second

to become hell. . Hence we can state indubitably that science is a great boon for humankind,

but when it is misused it can prove to be the most worst of banes.