An Essay - THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

That man has scientifically come of age is an understatement beneath which is snuggly concealed, even after ages of revelation to the contrary, the resigned believe that everything that can be discovered has already been discovered. But nevertheless, there is still a great many ingenious brains out there who dedicate many valuable hours in laboratories pursuing researches or studies in the name of science and it is actually upon them that science shall play a big role in building a better world.

Science, unlike say religion, is not a mystery, neither is it man’s adversary but is merely a way of living; an idea that is constantly manifested as a voice that is great within every man and better still, a conscience that serves to remind man of a possibility of a paradise somewhere in the future. Yes, science is not a paradox; no wonder it is not one of the Seven Wonders of the World!!

The future has some miracles only perceived in the eyes of science, and in its secrets, every man must surely see a future of near perfection. This probably was what the German born American physicist; Albert Einstein had in mind when he so emphatically noted that ‘science refines everyday thinking’

Even if science alone might not be the complete solution to the problems of the contemporary world, it is increasingly becoming undeniable- the fact that science just could be the difference between today and the future just as it has been the difference between the ages past and the present day.

This granted, it is thus the task of man to choose which fields of science to pursue if he must build a better world of the mold of human hands; and in this respect, there are countless alternatives, yet what is perhaps common to all is the fact that man must inevitably re-look to the inspiration of yesterday’s science. Yes, there is need to return to the heart of traditional science where detail was paid to ‘simple things’ and not where ingenious minds were more intent on fame and record breaking discoveries which often ended in the test tubes and never once came to the service of man. Yes, what we need is the science of curious humility.

Currently millions are being spent as man relentlessly attempts to understand other planets such as mars, and this is not a bad venture, but wouldn’t they rather they concentrated on the immediate, on the practical-mans most pressing issues such as remedies to man’s ills, and not on necessary fantasies.

Because interestingly though, today’s most fundamental and universally accepted scientific principles owe there complexity to the simplicity of there foundations, and it is thus for this reason that science must pause and re-think about the direction to take and the researches’ and ventures to pursue. It is true; there is a need for scientific re-evolution.

Man should return to the science that enabled an inquisitive ancient brain to decode a solution to a mathematical puzzle in the toss of a coin.

The science we should concentrate on is that which is concerned with the nature and especially the being of man.

What science should avoid is creating the impression that seems to vindicate the assertion that her enemies in there simplicity claim; that in science, man has actually designed a mechanism for his down fall, a servant who will soon unsurp his place of avowed master hood, and a monster who will ultimately destroy him.

The future of science is in its beginning and in this respect, if the question of building a better world has to do with how far civilization advances, then it is only logical that science dedicates more time and emphasis on nature. Yes, ‘nature nurtures man’. The science of materials must be re- examined and promoted because it is upon materials that anything tangible depends. There is no science without materials; technology without struts and trusses has no foundation!! Materials must be protected and research dedicated to there useful and healthy benefits.

A better world is that where man’s handicaps are overcome, easy communication and transport, health among a million other things, simplified. And if materials can be sustained and properly utilized and brought to the service of man without compromising and destroying them, then man will be treading an irreversible course into the great future.

However, for the above to be realized, then man’s thinking has really got to be refined; yes, man must break free of the confines of ‘facts’ and restrictive ‘laws’ that have led him to believe that there is nothing more to discover and instead seek for new horizons in the freedom and release of ‘imagination’.