Question: In what way and to what extent can technology or science be used for good or evil. You may write about something historical or something contemporary. ( Write about 300-400 words)
I believe actions are labeled good depending on who benefits from them. The same actions can be viewed as bad because they are being viewed by a person who is negatively affected by them. At the same time, things that are generally labeled as good earn that label because the general populous believes that those actions are moral and just. For example, helping an old lady cross the street would be considered good because society views it as a good thing. To put it simply, good and bad are biased concepts.
Science has done many great things for people. Without science, many disease such as cancer and arthritis would not have been discovered. Our awareness of the diseases that plague us today would not be possible without the the discoverance of the cell. Because of our understanding of the cell, scientists and engineers have made it possible to give treatments for cancer and prevent the spread of viruses by giving vaccines. Without science, people would not live as long as they do now.
Although science may seem innocent, there are many aspects where science can be viewed as a bad thing. Critics of vaccines could say that they are bad because vaccines lead to population growth which in turn lead to overuse of resources and increase in waste products. Humans also have a hand in making science bad. Many inventions are created without any malice in mind and like the atom they are used as some sort of weapon. Out of pure innocence the atom was discovered. Just like in Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, the atom was used to create the atomic bomb. That bomb led to the death of thousands of innocent people. The same thing could be said about the creation of the airplane. The whole point of creating the airplane was to be able to fly in the air, but humanity decided to use it for something else. Airplanes have been modified to use as weapons in times of war. Scientific inventions are never created out of malice but the actions of humanity is what makes people view certain inventions as bad things.
Witty Satire 