The science of energy and thermodynamics was met with enthusiasm because of the improvements it was making for industry. The application of physics to nuclear weapons promoted and caused fear. The explosion of the atomic bombs sent fear throughout the world. The human genome project was not met with much fear or enthusiasm; it tried to promote neutrality on the subject. Darwin’s
Murphie and Potts identify dichotomous attitudes toward technological change depicted within works of science fiction. Such attitudes can be described as celebration and fear. Where celebration or hope are evident the scene set is one of ‘technological utopia’. The utopia is achieved by using technological advancement for the betterment of both moral and material. Star Trek is a good example of this utopia; a seemingly infinite abundance to draw upon the society seeks to discover, catalogue and understand the elements within the universe with peaceful mission that forbids the Federation’s advanced Star Fleet to interfere with any world or civilisation it comes into contact with.
According to Dictionary.com eugenics is defined as “the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits.” What this means is that Eugenics is to believe in improving certain traits or eliminating diseases from people using genetic engineering. Eugenics is morally wrong, how would you like to be born and have to grow up and have to be good at things you don’t even like. You might want to play sports professionally but your parents have chosen for you to have
Watson genuinely believes in a renewed eugenics, now scientifically accurate and technically powerful, and has laid out a logical, strategic framework for moving science and society in that direction. His viewpoint of eugenics is very strong and extremely controversial, but Watson believes we should practice this method because why have genetic problems if you don’t have to. Although Hitler also had a version of eugenics, Watson feels his is different due to the fact that no killing would be involved, just altering on the DNA strand. Watson feels his ideas would benefit society in many ways. Parents would be allowed to choose the DNA of their children.
Since the begging of humanity, mankind tries to predict the soon to be future. Many scientific books and movies thrilled readers and viewers with visions of the future world. The book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and the movie Matrix directed by The Wachowski Brothers tried to put forth-such views. The strongest theme in both the book and the movie was the idea that as humanity progresses through the centuries, the advancement of science leads to perfecting the world that man lives in, which in turn conflicts with human individuality. Although, the concept is similar in both the book and the movie the portrayal of the conflict is different.
These conflicting views on technological advances in these novels can be related to the modern age that we live in today. Yes, there are numerous benefits to technology, but we humans cannot allow ourselves to become dependent on technology. The benefits are related to The Killer Angels: technological advances have helped make our lives much easier. For example, with the internet, we no longer have to painstakingly research information from books. The dangerous prospect of humans becoming too dependent on technology is seen in Jurassic Park.
Brave New World Most people would think that advancement in the scientific fields, new discoveries, and advance technologies would be beneficial to society. Technology is particularly known to have contributed to making our lives easier. With technology such as remote control and the robotic vacuum cleaner, people just have to lift their finger and technology would take care of the rest. However, the Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, predicts a future overpowered by technology that strips people of their own thoughts and identity. Huxley is trying to warn readers that scientific advancements can be a threat to society.
The spectacular continental expansion Westward and the advent of new technologies during the industrial revolution were rapidly allowing for new concepts and new propositions. The widespread recognition of Social Darwinism provided Americans with a sense of moral superiority – an obligation to assist backward cultures and seemingly ‘remedial’ civilisations all over the world. The Monroe Doctrine remained a bold international statement of American authority, and the new ‘Manifest Destiny’ represented action and divine guidance. America was brimming with optimism, frustration, chivalry, hope and action. Despite McKinley’s attempts at diplomacy, he was feeble opposition to the emotional magnitude of what was emerging in America.
The Ford Model T, and all of its effects created a turning point in the history of man and science. The evolution of science and technology is a good vantage point to view how humanity has evolved. Over the course of history, Technology and Humanity advanced at an extremely similar rate. The invention of a great new technology generally results in a period of success. This concept is best exemplified by the causes and effects of Henry Ford’s Model T. Undoubtedly, The Model T was a great advancement in Technology, but it also marked a major turning point in the advancement of the middle class in the United States.
The scientific method is used by researchers all around the world to discover new theories and ideas. Science in itself is a compilation of explanations about objective actuality that is derived from observed or hypothesized phenomena and then tested through experimentation. Human ability to make more accurate qualitative and quantitative observations has allowed for greater knowledge acquisition. However, the knowledge acquired through observation in the field of science is in a constant state of change, possibly due to the fact in the majority of testing in the world is viewed only through a scientific evolutionary lens (J. Morris, n. d.). Although there are always new discoveries, theories that were once thought to be unchanging are being challenged.