1348 Words Essay on Science and Human Happiness

Human happiness is not a static concept. It is an evolving concept. What was happiness for the primitive man dwelling in a cave and eating fruits and animal flesh would be regarded as a mere animal existence by modern man. Happiness today would mean not only freedom from want and drudgery but also the positive feelings generated by a civilised existence in a comfortable and secure home embellished by varied means of entertainment. Scientific advancement made by mankind during last two thousand years has increased man’s opportunities for happy life enormously.

Man is as much concerned with earning a livelihood today as he was two thousand years ago. The inventions of wheel, machines and highly efficient sources of energy have multiplied his capacity for production manifold. Agriculture operations are greatly facilitated by tractors, tubewells and harvester combines. The development of hybrid variety of wheat and rice has enabled highly populated countries like India and China to feed their burgeoning populations. The facilities of fast transport and cold storage have finally secured man against ravages of famines.

Foodgrains constitute a small part of many household’s expenditure. Milk, eggs, meat, fruits and a wide range of milk products are increasingly replacing the proportion of foodgrains in rich man’s meals. Green revolution in wheat has been followed by white revolution in milk enhancing the availability of milk and other dairy products. This has been possible due to artificial insemination of cows and buffaloes and wide ranging research in grass and fodder development. If 1/3rd of the population of the world still goes half- fed or undernourished, the fault lies not with science but with political and social systems prevalent in most parts of the globe which are still characterised by exploitation, inequity and discrimination.

Man is no longer subject to the tyranny of the elements – to freezing cold and scorching heat. Central heating systems and air condition- ers, developed and designed by scientists and technicians, have made it possible for man to keep their homes, offices and workshops at desi-rable temperatures most conducive to comfort and optimum production. Air-conditioning is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity in offices which are run with the help of computers which cannot be maintained properly in extremely hot temperatures and dusty environment.

Scientific inventions of cars, railways and aircrafts have abolished distances and turned the world into a global viNage. It is now possible for man to go from one corner of the world to another corner in 24 hours or so. One can have one’s breakfast in Delhi, lunch in London and dinner in America while travelling by air. Faster means of transport can be utilised by sending foodgrains to victims of famine or epidemics across the globe. They can be equally convenient for transporting armed men for fighting or preventing wars in far off places in matter of hours and days. The aircrafts of the U.S.A., England and France forced Saddam Hussain in early nineties to vacate his illegal occupation of Kuwait.

Israeli commandoes retaliated with lightening speed against the terrorists at Entebbe and freed the hostages in matter of hours. Science has speeded up man’s capacity for movement phenomenally. It is up to man to use it for aggression or for peaceful purposes. Scientific inventions are therefore not an unmixed blessing.

The weapons of destruction are perhaps the greatest curse which science has unwittingly developed. The loss of millions of lives in 2nd World War particularly in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, where atom bombs were dropped, could not have been possible but for the increased destructive power placed by science in the hands of man. Many scientists who were associated with the development of nuclear bombs suffered from a guilty conscience when they watched the horrifying consequences of their scientific labours.

Evolution of social and cultural instincts of man has not kept pace with the development of science. It has resulted in skewed evolution of human society. The differences between haves and have nots have become wider in the field of economic well being as well as the field of knowledge. The people who are left behind in economic and social development are despaired of ever attaining equality with the advanced and richer sections of society. Such inequality is a breeding ground for social tension and crime.

Metropolitan cities which house the richest as well as the poorest sections of the society have become hot beds of mafia groups and criminals. Life has become unsafe in many of these cities as the number of murders, rapes and assaults are going up steadily.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of science is in the field of entertainment. Leisure management industry with television shows, music concerts and films is emerging as the largest and the most important industry in the twenty first century. Satellite Television has made possible for millions of people to watch sporting and entertainment events simultaneously in different parts of the world. As far back as 1969, half the world watched Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon.

Olympic Games are televised live throughout the world giving the international players a chance to show their skills and prowess to the whole of humanity. These events are mega events for big business that splash advertisements of their products like Coca-Cola, Phillips T.V., Maruti Cars and a wide range of shoes, chocolates, tooth-pastes and apparels. The best players not only win gold medals in games but also modelling contracts for promotion of various goods and services offered by big companies throughout the world.

Science has done a great service to humanity by widening the reach of electronic media and through them the reach of different cultures and ideas of the world to people in different parts of the globe. The clash of ideas and cultures sometimes bring to the fore best ideas and cultural practices which put an end to prejudices of religion, caste and colour.

The revolution in means of communication has facilitated the emergence of international organisations like the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Organisations, who fight for human rights and render services to people across the globe suffering from natural disasters, epidemics and even political tyranny. It has become difficult for unjust regimes to survive as their evil acts are instantly flashed across the globe by humanitarian organisations. Constant adverse publicity has forced many tyrannical regimes to reform their law and practices to bring them at par with general standards accepted by and practised by majority of the nations of the world.

Science has revolutionised medicines. Diseases like Tuberculosis and many kinds of cancer which were considered fatal a few decades ago are no longer so. While tuberculosis is completely curable, most kinds of cancer are amenable to treatment if detected sufficiently early. Termination of unwanted pregnancies has freed many young ladies from lifelong anxiety effective methods of contraception has helped people plan their families and ensure better opportunities for small families.

Life saving drugs has reduced mortality rates drastically. It is true a scourge like AIDS is not yet amenable to any medical treatment but the scientists all over the world are working tirelessly to find some cure for this dreaded disease. Hepatitus B, a dreaded disease, can now be effectively prevented by a recently discovered vaccine.

Development in medical science has prolonged man’s average life span and brought quick relief to many obstinate physical ailments. Reliable prediction of floods and cyclones by scientific methods has saved many lives in recent years. People can be evacuated to safer places till the abatement of fury of nature. Similarly, immediate medical aid can be rushed to the scenes of major accidents or disasters.

Pursuit of science is embedded in man’s infinite curiosity to know and understand the secrets of nature. C.V. Raman rightly called science the “Third eye of God which will continue to unravel manifold secrets of nature”. The joy of understanding is the joy relished above all other joys by the refined souls. Science is the chief dispenser of this joy in the modern age. Science will never lack adherents as man’s quest for knowledge will never cease.