THE TWO FACES OF SCIENCE : THE CREATOR AND DESTROYER

Science has played a pivotal role in the progress of human life. All our comforts and conveniences are due to the progress we have made in  science and technology. However, science is a double edged  sword which can cut on both sides; in other words the influence of science is both positive and negative in our life. It can create, at the same time it can be a destroyer as well.

THE CREATOR

    The advent of science revolutionized human life in all its varied facets. Science has contributed to human values such as Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, and has become such a useful instrument in the hands of man that he has not only produced innumerable items to live in comfort and luxury, but is now thinking in terms of extending his life span and youth. The spectacular advancement of science and technology has generated a faith in the omnipotence of science. As Russel says, ‘one hundred and fifty years of science have proved more explosive than five thousand years of pre - scientific culture’. At present science has infiltrated into every aspect of human life, even though many are unaware of its presence. Thanks to scientific progress people can speak across continents and oceans, see events occurring thousands of miles away, photographs speak and sing, and rapid advancement in communication and mode of transport has reduced distances between nations and the world as such has become a global village! New drugs and drug delivery systems, spectacular advancement in surgical procedures, and rapid methods of diagnosis, all have alleviated human suffering to a large extent and progress in medical sciences has reflected in the advancement of human life span all over the world.  Psychical anomalies are cured through proper counselling, methods of hypnosis, dream analysis, electric shock treatment and mental hygiene. No longer do people believe that demons cause diseases and priests cure them.

     Food production, food processing, catering are areas where science has played a stellar role and the contribution of science in agricultural production and farm output has definitely helped in the fight against poverty and hunger. So also the new scientific disciplines developed in the latter half of the 20^th century, such as genetic engineering, biotechnology, and nuclear medicine have immensely contributed towards alleviation of human suffering and enhancement of human welfare. The electronic and technological inventions have revolutionized human activities in every sphere of life. Machines are programmed as per requirement and robots replace human labor and scientists are thinking of creating artificial intelligence. Revolution in communication systems has made continents nearer, countries smaller and human beings closer.

    Scientists have been making new discoveries, formulating new theories, and inventing new machines, at a growing pace for the past four hundred years, although this period represents only a minuscule of the recorded history of mankind. In such a short time man has achieved a remarkable insight into the mysterious working of nature and used such information to make his life more comfortable. Man has achieved this feat by making himself more flexible in his adaptation to the outside world.  No other animal has achieved so much. Today man has the technological skill to survive in extreme climates, to travel over land, to tunnel or to swim, or to fly as he wishes. Electronic revolution that we have witnessed in the 20^th century has enabled man to do his banking, shopping and an array of jobs he wants, by sitting in his bedroom and simply using a phone or computer. He has invented language, communication skills and innumerable mechanisms of information storage so that knowledge accumulated in one generation can easily be transmitted to the next generation or generations to come, a feat which comes very near to the Lamarckian dream of progenics acquiring the skills developed by their parents in their lifetime. By developing technologies such as genetic engineering and cloning, man today can even produce made-to-order progeny, almost like playing God!

 THE DESTROYER

     Spectacular achievements in science and the marvels of technology have provided man with immense power to mould nature for his own selfish interests. Man used the power of science and technology to enhance his comforts and conveniences without the necessary social wisdom and enlightened consciousness to use them well. The result is innumerable instances of the dark side of the scientific knowledge and its application. The achievements in science and technology and the resultant comfort and convenience have whetted human greed to acquire more and more, beyond what he really needs. He has become so selfish about his own needs that he is not often bothered about other species of animals in the biosphere. Environmental degradation, pollution, habitat destruction, over-utilization of natural resources etc. are but a few examples of the consequences of human greed and selfishness aided by science and technology. The total degradation of the value based living is a result of the materialistic outlook, which in turn  is the by-product of enormous power and wealth generated by human beings with support from science and technology. At present the technological marvels such as internet, computers and cell phones, which make human life on this planet very comfortable and easy, are also toys in the hands of a few men to create violence, discord and endless miseries to fellow human beings. Science has definitely helped nations to accumulate weapons of mass destruction, and the threat of a nuclear war appears very much real. Unfortunately, a situation has emerged in which man is afraid of his own shadow. It is certain that the gifts of science and technology are wrapped up with so many undesirable elements which pose a threat to the very survival of human species.

VEDᾹNTA AND HUMAN NATURE

     Science provides information which man can use or misuse. Man is unique among organisms in this world in that he has the discretionary power of choosing the right or wrong path of action. Science and technology are mere tools which man chooses for whatever end he likes to achieve. However, to arrive at a conscientious decision, human nature has to get civilized and man must know himself thoroughly. The wrong steps man takes are due only to the aberrations in human behaviour, owing to a breakdown in the moral value system. Human nature and values are all out of step. Science is not responsible for such a state of affairs in society, but man himself is to be blamed. As Einstein stated, ‘science can denature plutonium, but it cannot denature evil in the heart of man’.

    Ancient sages of India embarked on a mission to understand human nature, and the science they developed for the emancipation of human mind is Vedānta, the science of human possibilities. Vedānta is a system of philosophy, a religion and a science all three combined. As a philosophy it reveals the inner core of man as Ᾱtman, and paves the way for the realization or experience of the absolute Reality, Brahman. It gives a unified vision of the universe, at the same time revealing the relationship between individual beings and the absolute Reality. As a religion it provides the personal aspect of God as Ῑṡvara, for the ordinary mortal to love and worship. However, religion, according to Vedānta, is the super sensual, transcendental, knowledge of the Absolute. It has to be emphasized, at the same time, that this knowledge is not a supernatural revelation. As a science Vedānta gives valuable insights into the phenomena of cosmology, creation, evolution and the facts of human nature and practical ways of further evolution of human species by the development of the positives and the degeneration of the negatives of human mind. Vedānta gives a practical methodology for the ethical and moral emancipation of Homo sapiens.

 

   Civilization and culture are not simply the accumulation of material comforts and changes in lifestyle. Both these words, civilization and culture, are derived from ancient Latin ‘Civis’, meaning ‘inhabitant of a city’. Thus civilization in its most essential meaning, is the ability of people to live together harmoniously in cities, in social groupings. From this definition it may appear that some of the social insects such as ants and bees, which live and work together in social groupings, are also civilized, so also some of the micro organisms. However, there is more to the concept of civilization and that is where the aspect of culture comes in. The word culture refers to all the positive aspects and achievements of humanity that make mankind different from the rest of the animal world. Civilization in its true sense should mean the triumph of mind over matter and of reason over instinct. The development of qualities such as love, compassion, cooperation, tolerance and magnanimity and the triumph over negative emotions such as fear, anger, greed, jealousy and envy are all hallmarks of a civilized, cultured society. Science and technology can bring in only one side of this civilization and culture. The other side of the transformation of the human mind can only be achieved by the science of spirituality. No physical science can transform a Sidhartha into a Buddha. However an earnest study of Bhagavadgita and incorporation of its message in everyday life can produce dramatic changes in the personality of people.