Science is systematic body of
knowledge which has enabled human beings to unearth the mysteries of nature and
harness its wonderful powers. Science possesses gigantic powers and
potentialities of good and evil. When the power of science rocks our cradle
gently, science is our mother. When the power of mother shakes our cradle
violently, it depicts the step-motherly instinct. From womb to tomb science
plays a dominant role. Every minor detail of our life is shaded by the
technological and multicolored achievements of science. Comfortable and
civilized life is possible only in the lap of science.
Man was a helpless victim of innumerable diseases. Death used to come with its
gaping jaws but the man was impotent to strike a blow. Science provided immunity
against diseases. Science has annihilated time and space, has controlled tides
and facilitated rides. The aero-planes, ships, trains and motors carry
passengers swiftly from place to place. In case of famines, food is rushed and
air dropped. The telegraphic communications have mitigated the pangs of
separation. In the agriculture field, a challenge has been thrown to Nature. The
crops are no longer dependent on the whims and caprices of weather. Artificial
manure, electric heating and ripening have made man the master of his destiny.
In the industrial field machinery has made a great contribution. Human hands
have got, their limitations. The pins turned out in machine may not be counted
by an average mathematician. Leaving aside the necessities, there has been
addition in the comforts and luxuries of life. Cinemas, radios and televisions
have a great educative and entertainment value. Air-conditioning brings the
paradise on earth. No longer does a man feel the necessity to migrate to hill
station to save himself from scorching heat.
Science is not, however, an unmixed blessing. The knife is useful to a doctor in
surgery, to a house-wife for domestic use and to a school boy to sharpen his
pencil. The grim horrors of partitions would reflect how bad the knife becomes
when thrust in the belly of our own brethren. The mass destruction wrought by
the atom bombs at Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the bacteriological warfare in in
Korea, Indo-China are the living witnesses as to how the ghost of science dances
on the heap of skeletons and charred bodies. Due to industrialization, dingy,
and insanitary cities: slums and polluted atmosphere came into being. The
mounting capitalism is responsible for imperialistic wars fought with most
ghastly weapons. The achievements of science satiated our physical hunger, but
they have created a spiritual vacuum. Spiritual hunger is stronger than physical
appetite. Mental tension, frustration, and degeneration are the outcome. We lost
the vital spiritual values. Time to time science has been prostituted at the
lusty altar of political philanderers. Till the time scientists of the world
assert and safeguard their rights zealously to explore concealed avenues of
knowledge, the world is bound to suffer.
Wonderful powers are at the disposal of man. If he uses them wisely, the human
life here would have the possibility of living in an ever-blissful atmosphere of
high heavens. If he misuses them he would sink deep into the burring cauldron of
Hell. If Science remains our useful servant, we prosper. If Science becomes our
bad master, we perish. Science as a mother is affectionate and kind. Science as
a step –mother is violent and cruel.