Do You Think That Human Happiness Depends On Science?

Modern age is the age of science, and much of human happiness depends on the way in which man makes use of the infinite power that science has placed in his hands. In fact it is impractical to imagine how the modern man can stay alive in the nonattendance of the various discoveries and inventions which the scientists have made from time to time and in which have rendered his life comfortable and worth living.

Think of electricity, the airplane, the railway, the motor car, wonderful drugs, and thousand and one other achievements of science, which have become indispensable for our day-to-day existence. But apart from these discoveries and inventions, science has given man something which is much more useful -the scientific outlook which is essential for his further development and progress.

Scientific outlook helps a man determine facts, grasp them accurately, and find explanation for Diem. It gives him training in scrutiny, in accuracy, in objectivity, and in a balanced habit of mind. It introduces him to the material world and in that way widens vastly the horizon of the mind, extends its range, gives it a sense of endless possibilities, and makes life more interesting and alive. The scientist is a surveyor of an unknown world with unlimited possibilities of discovery and not only is the act of discovery, exciting, but it leads on to actions, to practical results.

It all depends on what you mean by happiness. There are societies in today's world where the people have no knowledge of, or access to, "science". Who can say such people aren't happy with their ways of life? At the same time, all the science in the modern world cannot guarantee happiness. It seems that modern man is never satisfied, and the more that science gives to society, the more we want. Even though science has improved life as we know it, it is also responsible for a path that could lead us to annihilation. Personally, I am an advocate of of science and technology, but I don't need it to be happy. Some of the best experiences in my life were not influenced by science or technology.