Essay # 1

Science and Technology in the 21st Century

Rob Leisure (2007)

     Over the past few centuries there has been a great shift from a religious to an economically driven society. Historical evidence has proven that science and technologies are directly linked to this change, and modern society’s passion for vast quantities of information and to seek out all unanswered questions. Carl Sagan (1996) once said that the “most precious thing” is science and its direct link to technology and the progression of humanity. In recent years, many questions have risen about many scientific issues and it’s role in shaping technology and culture.

     Science is based upon the “scientific process” which is about finding errors, reevaluating situations, and building answers upon what has been disproved. Through this process, science has progressed through the utility of technological advances. Together, science and technology fuel the power of information in the modern world; this inarguably would have never occurred without the inventions of the printing press in the 15th Century and the computer in the 21st century. The tools stated allowed the common person the capability to acquire vast amounts of information that could not have been fathomed before. These technological advancements helped catalyze the shift from a religious to secular society. In affect, these tools permitted people the freedom to seek knowledge based self-interests and personal truth’s.

     Not all science is ‘true’ science, and one of the main problems faced with modern society is the ability to distinguish between the two. For many of the questions left unanswered by science, the ‘void’ is filled through pseudoscience, which “may appear scientific, but they do not adhere to the testability requirement of the scientific method and are often in conflict with current scientific consensus” (Wikipedia, 2007). In a free society, government and religion is unable to control the vast amounts of information people acquire through textbooks and the internet. If people are not conscious of what is healthy knowledge, pseudoscientific processes can help wage wars, weaken national policies and cause problem in the home. Although many of the technological advances from science have been found to be extremely beneficial (e.g. medicine, weather forecasting, and leisure time), they can also impose problems with national and global security. One particular issue that comes to attention is the ability for people’s internet usage and phone conversation to be monitored by government officials to thwart the “War on Terror”.

     The media also play a key role in developing people’s belief system. Everyday, a vast quantity of information is being distributed to society. Millions of viewers rely heavily on television broadcasts as their main source of information. More often then not, the information provided is not thoroughly analyzed and false information is fed to the masses. May it be pseudoscience or true-scientific processes that have not undergone rigorous testing, misleading or biased information can often shape the belief for many people regarding critical current events.

     There are a number of scientists with valid data linking current global warming trends with increases in greenhouse gasses from anthropogenic impacts. International attention to this issue has helped form the Kyoto Protocol to lower dangerous emissions. Unfortunately, President Bush and the United States legislative congress believe that the Protocol is unfair because our economic structure will be severely impacted. The bottom line is that the United States does not have the current capacity to change current fuel and energy demands. During Bush’s (2001) speech, he explained his position on the Kyoto Protocol and the reason why it will not work. Despite opposition from the international community, Bush’s solution to the nation is to create strategic technologies in reducing harmful emissions.
     It is clear that in a modern technologically advanced society such as the United States that we are dependant upon science and technology to improve the lives of humanity. More often than not, the advances made are beneficial to modern society; however, there is always a price that must be paid with every step forward. The costs associated with our advances may not always be seen outright and it may take a long time to surface, but eventually something or someone will have to pay. Thus, the question I leave to be considered is what good are vast quantities of information and knowledge if people do not know how to analyze it logically and without bias? Technology and science have come a long way since the invention of the printing press and hopefully society can keep up.

Bibliography

Bush, George W. (2001). Text of a Letter from the President to Senators Hagel, Helms,
     Craig, and Roberts. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/ (2007, Jan 14).

Sagen, Carl (1996). The Demon-Haunted World: Most Precious Thing. New York:Random

House.Wikipedia. (2007). Pseuodscience.
      http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience (2007,
     Jan 17).

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Website by Rob Leisure (2007). rmleisur@eagle.fgcu.edu

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