Human beings have a thing for pushing limits. It’s one of the things that make us great, after all. Technology is all about testing limits, and without human tendency to want to be greater society today might not have the internet, television, radio, or even electricity. We, as a society, have a fierce desire for advancement that has lead us to make more scientific advances in the last hundred years than we did in the previous two hundred. However, everything has a cost, and the boundaries that nature sets are not just lines in the sand. Coal burning fueled the industrial revolution, but it also caused major pollution and set the stage for global warming. Nuclear power gives society a huge amount of energy for less cost, but it also leads to radioactive waste that is impossible to safely dispose, not to mention nuclear weapons. Our military here in America is the most advanced in the world and has an unparalleled capability to keep us safe from conventional threats, but it also has an unparalleled capability for death and destruction and fosters unconventional treats like terrorism. Scientists love to talk about our great leaps forwards in all fields, from medicine to power, but sometimes it feels more like a forced march in the dark; we don’t know where we are going, but we’re getting there as quickly as possible. There is an alternative to the inexorable march of science, however. The Bible warns us of the dangers of hubris. Many people in the Bible try to gain power and move higher and higher, and God inevitably strikes them down. Without discouraging progress, the Bible does try to temper it. It is only when humanity goes too far or too fast for its own good that problems start to occur. This theme arises most of... ... middle of paper ... ...ups of people neglect or refuse to look at the consequences of their actions. Pride gets in the way, or ignorance, or what have you, but each time people reach too far, they fail, and they are set further back than they began. Well, nowadays scientists aren’t just reaching too far; they set their limits at infinity. Modern science nurses the popular belief that everything can be learned, and that with enough effort, everything will be learned eventually. They set maximum good at knowing as much as possible, as opposed to knowing as much as we need to. Now, scientific advancement is not a bad thing, and progress should not be seen as negative. However, reckless advancement and progress for the simple sake of progress can lead to problems, particularly when we don’t have the full picture. Wendell Berry discusses these problems in his book, Life is a Miracle.
In the short story “The Man Who Evolved” written by Edmond Hamilton, a mad scientist Pollard evolves to human forms under concentrated cosmic rays. The passage is centrally important to the story, as it hints the potential horror scientists may endure if they do not follow scientific procedures responsibly. In the passage, Hamilton compares the results of the scientific research. Through this comparison, he communicates the overarching idea that even though scientific research on evolution may bring some beneficial effect to human beings, its ultimate result should be carefully considered, as in the story the research creates a mind twisted monster that wants to own the entire world.
Chapter 3, The Bible, Creation, and Science by Robert Branson, PhD presented some interesting aspects of biblical interpretations relative to science. “With the rapid changes and developments that all areas of modern science produce, it is a general belief that if an informed person is made to choose between science or the Bible, science will be chosen.” (loc 647 Kindle, Branson) Dr. Branson tries and explain the three positions people take with biblical studies. The three positions examined by Dr. Branson are 1. Concordance, 2. Young-Earth Creati...
... effect all humanity, and therefore, need to not think on an individual level. J. Michael Bishop states that "The price of science seems large but to reject science is to deny future."(261).
He applies his findings to examples throughout history and makes the point that we do not learn from our mistakes. Wright claims that “as cultures grow more elaborate, and technologies more powerful, they themselves may become ponderous specializations – vulnerable and, in extreme cases, deadly.” Humanity progresses too fast and ends up doing more damage than good. In the Stone Age humans went from killing 2 mammoths to 200, we went from the arrow to the bullet in a number of decades. These advancements are called “progress traps”, and inevitably threaten our whole species with extinction. Humanity has reached a point where we must slow down our advancements and look at what is really necessary. All of these advancements are bringing up more problems than they are solving. We have to start reversing our current problems, and prepare for the future. We are coming to a point of no return from the consequences to our actions and as Wright says “if we fail – if we blow up or degrade the biosphere so it can no longer sustain us – nature will merely shrug and conclude that letting apes run the laboratory was fun for a while but in the end a bad
Until he realizes his limitations, the spread of science can only lead to chaos and destruction.
...nt limits methods in the output of knowledge. When it comes to the natural sciences it is not a matter of how it is perceived. Ethical judgments in science allow it to evolve and produce more knowledge. It is correct that in some cases they do not allow particular methods to be used therefore prolonging the production of knowledge however the limitations can also impose positive effects in the knowledge produced, such as the development of other methods. Once again this cannot be solved by knowledge as the negative effect of ethical judgment in science contributes to producing a positive effect as well. The main issue with this statement however is the definition of ethical judgements, as there is no clear answer to what it implies. This is because it varies between people due to society they live in, their culture, religion, personal experience and personal opinion.
People may say that mistakes just hold scientists back and provide obstacles. John Denker says, “scientists worked to avoid mistakes.” He says that scientists did not just make one mistake that led to a big discovery, but they invented their products little by little, trying to make it perfect. Mistakes may hold you back sometimes,
(Action): If we don’t do our part to stop the expansion of nuclear power plants, the future of our planet will be bleaker. Every year, thousands of more pounds of nuclear waste will be buried underground and the damage to our environment increases. There are more efficient energy sources other than nuclear power and we must do our part today to prevent a catastrophic future for our children. The dangers that nuclear power plants pose for the United States are very real. There are many alternative renewable sources of energy available to us such as wind and solar power, which provide a much safer and efficient alternative to nuclear power. You alone have the power to speak up and act against the expansion of this dangerous energy. The future of our environment’s safety and our nation’s energy supply lies in your hands.
...nce World War II to the present day, the technology of nuclear power has increased significantly in terms of energy output and safety. The energy efficiency of nuclear power is far superior to its counterpart fossil fuel and renewable energy. Compared to fossil fuels, tiny amounts of fuel used by nuclear reactors is equivalent to a large sum of coal. This is a no brainer. Why mine a ton of coal when a little uranium can be used to gain the same amount of energy? Not only is it efficient, it’s safe to use. Used fuel is packed away in storage safely, so there isn’t any chance of radiation leaking out. In the present day, nuclear power incidents haven’t been occurring lately. Advancements in technology and equipment used have made nuclear energy a very reliable and safe source of energy. With today’s energy needs, nuclear power has the ability to keep up in the race.
In the article, "In Praise of Careful Science" the author wrote, "The typical role of a mistake in science is not to lead to a brilliant invention, but to teach a scientist how to do better next time. (paragraph 22)" When you create a mistake, it is your duty to find a way to correct that problem. It is a long process to think of an idea, make the product, and then place it in the market. Today, there is a lot of new technology that is taking over people houses. To create that product the creator had to go through many mistakes and problems along the way. The producers could have crashed into problems such as the product did not work, or that it just would not go together. But that is okay, do you know why? Because with all those mistakes along the way, the makers learned how to correct themselves and make their product even better then they expected. So next time when you are working on a project and you get stopped by some bump along the way, do not get stressed, because if you try again you will learn what you did wrong and how to solve
...vercome, there is more of a chance to capture such great discoveries. People need to realize that if they never take the time to stop and look around, appreciate the small things in life, they might miss out on important details and or moments that the world has to offer. Scientist didn’t obtain their greatest discoveries by looking at the world with a closed mind. During the months of September through Novemeber, the leaves start to fall off the trees. It is obvious its fall, but what else is occurring? Gravity. Albert Einstein discovered gravity by watching and ordinary object fall. At that moment he became a scientific unscrupulous observer.
Dr. Michael Shermer is a Professor, Founder of skeptic magazine, and a distinguished and brilliant American science writer to say the least. In His book The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People he sets out to embark on the daunting task of convincing and informing the reader on sciences’ ability to drives the expansion of humanity and the growth of the moral sphere. Although such a broad and general topic could be hard to explain, Shermer does so in a way that is concise, easy to understand, and refreshing for the reader. This novel is riddled with scientific facts, data, and pictures to back up shermers claims about the history of science, humanity and how the two interact with one another.
...wever, in the best interest of advancing education and an enlightened society, science must be pursued outside of the realm of faith and religion. There are obvious faith-based and untestable aspects of religion, but to interfere and cross over into everyday affairs of knowledge should not occur in the informational age. This overbearing aspect of the Church’s influence was put in check with the scientific era, and the Scientific Revolution in a sense established the facet of logic in society, which allows us to not only live more efficiently, but intelligently as well. It should not take away from the faith aspect of religion, but serve to enhance it.
Advancements in science and technology can be very beneficial, but they also pose a big threat. What happens when they are relied too heavily upon? There is a loss of communication, relationships, and freedom. The majority of the population begins to live in fear as a select few delve deeper into the next big phenomenon, or what they believe to be the means by which the society will prosper. This infatuation with science and technology will bring nothing but destruction, as it prevents all individuals from fully experiencing life.
Technology! Yes, it has its positives, but like all other things is also has its negatives. Would we really need hover cars? They would still congest ?air space?. What would be the benefits of splitting the atom more that once (What was the point of splitting it anyway)? Or will ?Little Boy? the World War Two atomic bomb containing Uranium be resurrected from the Japanese city of Hiroshima and be upgraded to wipe out the brain stems of individuals whose unique brain patterns have been programmed into the device? For years technology has been cultivated. Powerful and ingenious it maybe, but in our hands this technology has been used for demoralizing war! If we carry on using these technological advancements for the use of hostilities on Earth (or maybe in space) then both parties will use their own weapons and both will be crushed, ground into tiny pieces and blasted into oblivion. As the saying goes...