13th Commentary - Scientific and Technological advancements and what they mean
The commentary is on this question: “Do you think science and technology has done more good than bad? Consider all the aspect, from the impact 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.” The examples used are largely from the articles inside the GP Times.
We do know that scientific and technological advances in many areas have brought great changes and even greater possibilities to society, and the areas where such advances have occurred are practically countless. There are, of course, still many debates in the scientific community about possible problems and issues, especially ethical ones, of these advances. But overall, it is my opinion that the improvements in science and technology have brought greater good to the world, rather than bad.
New technology has made it possible for robots to replace humans in doing household chores, doing mundane jobs in factories, carrying out dangerous military missions, and many other things. Scientific advancement makes having babies after 60 possible and living to 120 look increasingly likely. These are just a few examples of the good things that the advances in technology and science have brought us. Our lives would become safer and less stressful, and we may one day be immune to the multitude of diseases that plague us now. Some mental problems could be gotten rid of through new medication. Such great possibilities are definitely good – not only for the people, but for the whole world.
The downside to all these possibilities would be the continued issue of ethics. Some of the research needed to speed up progress or to test the feasibility of certain products would cause certain groups to bring up the problem of ethics in research. Would the outcome be morally right? Is the research done harmful to others? Or is the objective in accordance to universal law? These are some issues that would often crop up in the process of scientific and technological advancement. One especially touchy area would be stem cell research. Many in the scientific community feel that stem cell research is likely to bring in much progress in the areas of medical science and the search for cures to diseases like cancer and AIDS. However, the research that is required would sometimes cause uproars over ethical problems, like the use of human eggs or embryo, or the methods used to obtain some of such materials. An example of such a case would be that of the disgraced South Korean scientist, Professor Hwang Woo Suk – The human eggs he used in his research were obtained from his junior staff, not through proper channels. Other ethical problems in scientific research included the carrying out of tests on patients without their consent, and the fabrication of test results. Such problems could actually harm the credibility of the scientific community, and may even lead to a setback, which would be bad.
Although the above examples of problems in scientific and technological research would seem to make any improvements bad or unethical, it is not the case. Majority of the scientists and researchers do not commit such offenses, and all of them would be aiming to create something that would improve human life, not make it worse. Thus, I would conclude that scientific and technological advances are good of people.
We do know that scientific and technological advances in many areas have brought great changes and even greater possibilities to society, and the areas where such advances have occurred are practically countless. There are, of course, still many debates in the scientific community about possible problems and issues, especially ethical ones, of these advances. But overall, it is my opinion that the improvements in science and technology have brought greater good to the world, rather than bad.
New technology has made it possible for robots to replace humans in doing household chores, doing mundane jobs in factories, carrying out dangerous military missions, and many other things. Scientific advancement makes having babies after 60 possible and living to 120 look increasingly likely. These are just a few examples of the good things that the advances in technology and science have brought us. Our lives would become safer and less stressful, and we may one day be immune to the multitude of diseases that plague us now. Some mental problems could be gotten rid of through new medication. Such great possibilities are definitely good – not only for the people, but for the whole world.
The downside to all these possibilities would be the continued issue of ethics. Some of the research needed to speed up progress or to test the feasibility of certain products would cause certain groups to bring up the problem of ethics in research. Would the outcome be morally right? Is the research done harmful to others? Or is the objective in accordance to universal law? These are some issues that would often crop up in the process of scientific and technological advancement. One especially touchy area would be stem cell research. Many in the scientific community feel that stem cell research is likely to bring in much progress in the areas of medical science and the search for cures to diseases like cancer and AIDS. However, the research that is required would sometimes cause uproars over ethical problems, like the use of human eggs or embryo, or the methods used to obtain some of such materials. An example of such a case would be that of the disgraced South Korean scientist, Professor Hwang Woo Suk – The human eggs he used in his research were obtained from his junior staff, not through proper channels. Other ethical problems in scientific research included the carrying out of tests on patients without their consent, and the fabrication of test results. Such problems could actually harm the credibility of the scientific community, and may even lead to a setback, which would be bad.
Although the above examples of problems in scientific and technological research would seem to make any improvements bad or unethical, it is not the case. Majority of the scientists and researchers do not commit such offenses, and all of them would be aiming to create something that would improve human life, not make it worse. Thus, I would conclude that scientific and technological advances are good of people.
posted by Raylen at 10:30 PM
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