Changes that science brought about in my thinking - Essay Example

Changes That Science Brought About In My Thinking " Science the word conjures up images of microscopes, telescopes, test tubes, pipettes, dissections, apples falling from trees (Newton's laws of gravity), rockets, space ships, computers, internet, dams, clean water, clean environment, in short, everything connected with life and living. Science has changed the way in which we breathe, live and think. It has entered each and every arena of our lives and changed it beyond comprehensible limits.

Though science has been in existence since times immemorial, today, it is accessible to the common man and has influenced every aspect of life. Children start learning about science the minute they enter school. In my case, it has made me a more curious, eager- to- learn, analytical person. I do not accept things blindly. I have been inculcated with a scientific spirit in my thinking. I want to experiment, learn new things, maybe discover a few things too, and harness it in every way I can. The immediate changes that I can think of are the results of experiments we perform in school, use of internet for communication, use of mobile phones, sending text messages, online fund transfers, online shopping, writing blogs, use of sophisticated machines for simple comforts of life, etc, etc.

Development in technology has changed our lives in a big way. While a few years ago, I would have traveled to nearby places for a holiday; today, travel by modified cars and airplanes to far off destinations is just a click away. Science, I feel, has influenced us in every walk of life. Be it communication, research, friendship, travel, shopping, the way movies are made, the way food is cooked, the way machines are made, the way nature is harnessed for human needs, the ways disease are treated, the way paper is made, the way we exercise, the way we entertain and get entertained, the very way in which live, eat and breathe!! Another very important aspect of life that has been influenced by science seems to be the way movies are made.

Sci-Fi movies are a huge hit. They play on the audience's imagination and take them to the future or the imaginary future. Many of our favourite science-fiction films are part of a genre known as "tech noir", stories that prophesy that the advancement of technology will have foreboding consequences for humanity. "Blockbusters such as The Terminator franchise, Blade Runner, RoboCop and Gattaca dissolve the distinction between man and machine, exploring what it means to be human and challenging contemporary values", says Dr Greg Dolgopolov, lecturer in the school of media, film and theatre at the University of NSW1.

All this while, we have been discussing the benefits of science. However, I do feel there are a few, though negligible ill-effects of science too. Developments in science and technology have led to increased competition among countries. This has led to a rat race among nations for developing sophisticated weapons to overpower the world. Each country is trying to outdo the other in manufacturing instruments, which would wipe off the human race completely. Another ill-effect of science that I can think of is that mankind is getting lazier by the day.

You need a meal: just dial and get it, you need a flight ticket, just dial or book it over the internet, you need company, just log into a website or switch on the TV. You need to play: play on the X Box or PC. This sedentary lifestyle is exposing us to health risks, previously unknown to mankind. I would like to conclude that it is up to us to use science and technology to our benefit. We have to create a balance between physical exercise and use of sophisticated gadgets in our daily lives. Careful and judicious use of nature's endowments, use of science for the befit of mankind and a life-long spirit of enquiry and analysis is what I would like to adopt in my life.