Science and Technology

Science and technology have:

1. Changed the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the structure we live, and the means we move.

2. Alleviated us from the more physically demanding work and have given us more leisure times for socializing and entertainment.

3. Enabled us to make medicines and instruments to detect and cure bacteria and virus infections as well as injuries and mental disorder,

4. Helped us to gain knowledge about the history of our civilization, the journey of life on Earth, the formation of our solar system, and the age of the Universe,

5. Also given us air pollution, toxic wastes, and weapons of mass destruction.

   Science is a field of knowledge that is created as a result of objective observation, logical thinking, induction and deduction based on reason, verifiable evidences and facts. Technology applies this knowledge to build a better man-made world for us to live in.

Material Comforts

Biology and genetic engineering have made the crops and farm animals more resistance to diseases and the changing weather with better yields. As a result, we are able to easily produce enough food to meet the demand of an exploding population. Synthetic materials and mechanized weaving tools can make clothing not only for all weather but also for any occasion. We rely on structural engineering and material science to build living and working quarters that can withstand earthquake, hurricane, and extreme weather. We rely on the laws of physics and mechanical engineering to invent cars that can move at high speed, airplane that can fly in the sky over great distance and ship that can sail on water between lands. Today, people can live in temperature controlled building, go out socializing in the latest fashion, enjoy gourmet food at restaurant, drive a car to visit friends on the other side of the town, and take a vacation to the other side of the globe in an airplane.

Physical Comforts

It was not long ago that:

1. A disease epidemic wiped out tens of thousands of people,

2. A bacteria infection or flu was sometimes a life and death condition,

3. After a physical injury, a person sometimes needed to endure excruciating pain,

4. In addition to a soothing effect on the nerve, cigarette smoking was a fashionable social behavior,

5. There was no regular physical checkout and a lot of ailments were left undetected till it was too late, etc.

   With our knowledge in Biology, Physiology, Anatomy, and medicine, and with our instruments of X-ray, Magnetic Resonant Imaging, blood and blood pressure tests, we come up with cures to most of the illness/sickness and confirm the danger of cigarette smoking to the lung, heavy drinking to the liver, and excessive diet on sweets and fats to the heart. We invent drugs that kill all known bacteria, reduce fever and pain, and fight diabetics and hypertension. We develop nutrition and exercise plans for a healthy life style. The end results are that people can live a longer life with quality and productivity.

Exploration and Destruction

Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Satellite, and telescope have shown that:

1. The Earth is spinning like a top and the gravitational force keeps us from falling,

2. The light and the heat from the Sun that make life possible are the result of the thermal nuclear reaction,

3. The shining lights in the night sky come from galaxies like our Milky Way and stars like our Sun. Some of the galaxies and stars are relatively close while some are billions of light years away,

4. Some of those stars are found to harbor planets just like our Earth,

   With the same scientific knowledge and tools, we created

1. Guns that can kill people in close range so easily that even a child can pull the trigger,

2. Bombs that can easily be deployed and kill a large number of people,

3. Weapons of mass destruction that can be used to wipe out people in a whole city.

Purpose

Science and technology have changed the ways we live, work, think, and view the world. They have helped us solve many problems but also created many new problems – air pollution, toxic waste contamination, global warming and extreme climate change, over population, moral decadence, and spiritual emptiness – that threaten our very existence. Science has demonstrated that it is the key to understand how the Universe was formed, how Nature works, and what makes our body tick. We use this knowledge in technology to build a man-made world to increase our chance of survival and improve the quality of life. Science and technology have provided great material comfort and also given us more time to face our darker self – jealousy, revenge, hatred, deceit, and murderous intent. We still have to rely on religion, laws and order to keep those destructive urges in check. Science and technology are ever expanding in both their breath and depth:

1. We know more about the world than we did 100 years ago,

2. Our man-made world is functioning more efficiently and can accommodate more people than 100 years ago,

3. Our transportation means have evolved from bicycle, car, train, ship, airplane, to rocket,

4. Our energy sources have evolved from wood, coal, oil, nuclear, to renewable,

5. We have sent men to the moon and probes to other planets and out of the solar system,

   100 years from now, we will rely on science and technology to:

1. Use clean energy to power our man-made world to minimize global warming and toxic waste,

2. Colonize moon and Mars to bring relief to over population, territorial conflict, ideological squabble and shortage of natural resource,

3. Solve and prevent crimes so effectively and efficiently that people will find deviousness and violence are not worthy of consideration in their daily lives.

4. Broaden our views on life beyond Earth and why there is life in a Universe that started in a Big Bang.

   Science and technology will not solve all our problems overnight. They will buy us time and point us to the right direction for our survival on Earth and latter in the Universe.