Science is a Threat to Humanity - Term Paper Example

December 8, Science is a threat to humanity If asked what science is, you would most probably look around and say, everything. The contemporary world is so much driven by science that it is almost impossible to spot an object around us that is not a product of science. Since the invention of fire, the engine and electricity, life on earth has never been the same again. The industrial revolution era bore thousands of production companies, the World Wars saw great feats of ingenuity in weaponry and the information era, well, has until now stretched the limits of possibility to their extreme. However, while most humans sit back and revel in the comfort that science has created, few pause to think about the threat that this so much celebrated field poses to humanity. The arguments presented in this paper will help us gain the understanding why science is a necessary evil by focusing on the negative impact that it has on human life. Science has brought about invention of powerful weapons capable of causing incalculable damage to people. Technologies in weaponry have seen advent of deadly weapons like atomic bombs and currently nuclear war heads. While it is prudent for nations to sufficiently protect its citizens, the use of these arsenal cannot be controlled, rather it depends entirely on the morality of the society. Cases of inhuman use of weapons have been experienced worldwide with the most striking being the Japan atomic bomb that left scores dead. I, and I guess most people would, agree with the statement that modern day nuclear weapons are so powerful that make the atomic bomb appear like a firecracker (Debate.org). These lethal objects at the hands of hungry and irresponsible leaders are a great threat as most take advantage of them to unleash their brutality on small unsuspecting targets. Nations like, China, Russia, UK, USA, France, Israel and India are known to possess nuclear weapons under the 1968 Nonproliferation Treaty. However actions by some nations like North Korea to develop nuclear weapons against the treaty are reason enough to think twice about the security of human life in the face of these weapons (Arms Control). While man is naturally evil as most people claim, I believe science has heightened man’s cruelty to different levels by freely placing dangerous armament at his doorstep. Heavy industrial activities have contributed to wanton pollution of the environment. Science has led to discovery of minerals which are extracted from the earth, processed and made available for use. Talking about mining makes me think of lives lost when people get buried in mines while others face death due to exposure to harmful minerals and radiations. Processing industries emit heavy fumes into the otherwise tranquil atmosphere causing devastating damage to it. Carbon gases, for instance, damage ozone layer thus exposing us to dangerous radiations from the sun. Moreover, these gases are known to cause Global warming a phenomena characterized by heavy floods in some places of the world and extreme droughts in others. Industrial wastes find their way into our water systems and consequently contaminate it making it unfit for human consumption. On an equal footing are the health effects posed by electronic devices that we use daily for communication, entertainment, office work and other tasks. At any given time, man swims in a sea of harmful electromagnetic radiations generated by mobile phones and other wireless networks. I therefore consider science a threat due to these effects that either lead to loss of life or adversely impact on the quality of human life. Crime activities have increased substantially courtesy of technology which is a direct product of science. As I had mentioned earlier, man’s selfishness has been catapulted by availability of an enabling environment. With guns at their disposal, organized gangs have taken over towns and cities with people losing lives in the wake of their activities. Mobility has become easier as criminals find convenience in vehicles or even planes which they use to get to their targets fast and leave even faster. Coordinated attacks are made possible through mobile phones and the internet where criminals plan and execute multiple attacks concurrently. Drug abuse is also a major deal in the society. I support the idea that scientific research has resulted in methods of producing powerful and highly addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin. This drugs cause critical health effects and even deaths to the users and they are known to exacerbate crime rates. Statistical data from DrugWarFacts.org indicate that quite a substantial number of the population lose their lives due to drugs through overdoses and drug related diseases a realization that further cements my argument that science endangers humanity. Science has driven people to be lazy thus affecting their health. Nowadays almost all simple tasks that were done people have been almost entirely automated with machines taking over. In the name of making man’s life simple and in this pursuit of comfort, people have been reduced to part of furniture in their homes. Little exercise is done therefore and this has a bad impact on one’s health. Cars and bikes for instance have made people so lazy that some drive several kilometers to the gym just to work out for 30 minutes when they could have just jogged for few of those kilometers and achieve the same effect. Home appliances like washing machines, cookers, toasters just to mention a few have resulted in acute laziness where individuals cannot do any work in their absence (RooGirl). Personally, I cannot remember the last time I did my laundry a fact that I am sure is common with most of us. Computer games too have created many idlers in the name of gamers. People spend many hours behind their play-stations playing games or behind screens watching all day when they could be using that time productively. Moreover, computers have taken over most of the thinking and we have been reduced to ‘non-thinkers’ where all solutions are determined automatically. This physical inactivity is a leeway for opportunistic health complications like obesity and heart diseases. Thus, the points discussed in this section is clear proof of the negative impact of science to human existence. Processed foods, genetically modified crops and animals used as food have adversely affected human health. Processed foods usually have chemicals added to prolong their shelf lives. Most of these chemicals are known to cause allergies and other health complications in consumers. Science, through genetic engineering has facilitated modification of crops by altering their DNA. This process involves introduction of bacteria and viruses into the system of respective organisms so as to achieve a certain desired effect. According to Institute of Responsible Technology (IRT), farmers cultivating GMO crops use more herbicides resulting in a high herbicide residue in the produce. In addition, a certain gene extracted from a soil bacteria Bt is inserted in the DNA of crops making them generate a toxin that kills insects. GMO crops through this manipulation generate their own pesticides and herbicides from within their cells. Therefore, foods processed from this crops have all those toxins in them responsible for causing allergies that are associated with GM soy, corn and cotton. A typical example of the effects of GM foods is the 1980’s deadly epidemic caused by food contamination. The Institute of Responsible Technology reports that a food supplement called L-tryptophan caused the death of about 100 Americans and caused sickness and disability in another 5,000-10,000 people. Originally the cause of the deaths was not established but a combination of unique symptoms led to its discovery. Other effects of GM foods according IRT are liver problems, infertility, infant mortality, disease and death. Given that Americans have been consuming GM products in processed foods thus exposing themselves to all these effects. Though they provide us fast solutions to food shortages and solve the problem of perishable foods, their negative impact far outweigh the positive. Lastly, I strongly affirm that genetic modification and cloning of humans through science is an attempt to play God and the use of humans for experiments is as an act of barbarism. Science has in some cases gone to the extreme as to experimenting with human life. The Nazi experiments in German during World War II exemplify this. Baruch Cohen relates that serious crimes against humanity were committed through the various experiments done at the labs. He reports that some of the experiments performed on war prisoners included high altitude experiments, wound, artificial insemination, poison, tuberculosis, freezing and sea water experiments, sterilization among others. It saddens to see that while the victims of these cruel acts rot away in history, science continues to nourish itself on ‘data’ from these experiments. Though that is the only verifiable incidence where people were used in experiments, I cannot rule out possibilities of other clandestine labs across the world doing the same. Conclusion Consequent of the above discussion, it is evident that science poses a great threat to humanity. I appreciate the invaluable change that science has brought to the world through the technologies that it has enabled. Communication, locomotion, comfort of homes, ease of processing products, entertainment and a host of other things have been made available making life easier and more convenient. I would like to openly state that science activities that promote these positive developments are by all means likeable and encouraged. However, to limit science to these fields only is a herculean task. Pro-scientists posit that science is not to blame for the bad things happening around the world. That it is human’s nature to do evil and science is just a tool with which such evil is accomplished. Though partially true, my argument is that it is science that places these deadly tools in evil people’s hands thus is the big fish in this case. Attempts to limit the extent to which science researches go have met absolute failure thus the many undesirable products. Furthermore the mere existence of science regulatory bodies and conventions such as Nonproliferation Treaty are sufficient evidence of the fact that science is unfortunately prone to misuse and thus a threat to humanity. References “25 Negative Effects of Technology”. RooGirl. n.p, 8 June 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. http://roogirl.com/25-negative-effects-of-technology/ 3a111. “Essay: Science Is a Threat to Humanity”. My Blog. n.p, 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. http://3a111.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/essay-science-is-a-threat-to-humanity/ Arms Control Association. “Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance”. n.p, 23 June 2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014. http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat “Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO): Harmful Effects of the Agent”. University of Minnesota. n.p, 2003. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. < http://enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/gm/harmful.html > “House Believes Science Is a Threat to Humanity”. Idea. n.p, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/science-technology/science/house-believes-science- threat-humanity “Health Effects”. Institute of Responsible Technology. N.p, 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. http://www.responsibletechnology.org/health-risks “Is Science a Threat to Humanity?” Debate.org. n.p, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-science-a-threat-to-humanity Read More