Advancement in Science and Technology

Scientific and technological advancements do not by themselves destroy human values and ethical factors. If we forget our past and the teachings of our ancestors, it is due to the all round degeneration of our character for which it is futile to blame science. Nowhere does science says that we should discard the basic values of life. Science, after all, is only highly evolved common sense. The fact that common sense also concerns itself with many other facts and facets of life is not denied by science and technology.

The argument that it is science that is responsible for the heavy loss of human lives and the widespread destruction which scientific inventions such as nuclear bombs and advanced weapons cause is fallacious. It is the misuse if science and technology that has caused loss of life and property. Science and technology have undoubtedly facilitated human progress. These have not prompted the use of destructive devices. Critics point to the continuing erosion of moral and spiritual values. But how has science caused the erosion?

Do electricity, the telephone and satellite communication, together with all the other modern conveniences, lead to a fall in human values? Certainly not. Science and civilization go together quite well; they are by no means incompatible. Science merely eliminates superstition through encouragement of enlightened understanding. It has removed ignorance and has facilitated the utilization of natural resources.