science and technology key phrases

8/8/2019 Science and Technology Key Phrases

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/science-and-technology-key-phrases 1/7

Science and technology

• The unstoppable charge of new technological developments has been gaining momentum

in recent years.

•

Looking back at the history of human civilization, it is evident that the progress of mankind has been inextricably linked with the development of science.

• Historically, it is evident that Science has brought mankind into a new epoch

characterized by a greater standard of living and hence creating a better world.

• These developments and fancy gadgets have permeated our lives.

• Yet, in the face of disturbing ethical implications of recent scientific breakthroughs as

well as the horrors of bloodshed on battlefields due to the increasing destructive

capabilities of technologically advanced weapon systems, some people have become

disillusioned with the promise of science.

• Science has indeed helped mankind to progress and has transformed the primitive

cavemen of the past to the technology-savvy individuals of the present.

• Science ensures continued prosperity and progress for the human race.

• A social purpose of science is to heighten the quality of life for people. As science grows

in complexity, science if used inappropriately could bring about social degradation and a

drop in living standards. Scientific inventions do not necessarily entail an increase in the

welfare of people as scientific discoveries can be abused and have undesirable

ramifications, if not applied morally and responsibly.

• Designer babies are being produced and parents succumb to the societal stereotypes of

intelligence, or physical beauty when selecting their embryos. This blatant disregard for

ethical views has caused science to defeat its moral purpose.

• Technology has sped up every aspect of modern life. Speeding up our tasks and indirectly

giving us more to do by enabling more to be accomplished

• Multi-tasking

• Endless pursuit of faster, smaller, sleeker

• Technology has us all sold on its speed and efficiency and resulted in a culture where few

see the real need to “stop and smell the roses”

• Fast-paced world of instant gratification and lightning-speed communication



• Man, under the comfortable delusion that he is in full control of technology and its

progress, often justifies the never-ending quest for a new gadget or a new method of

going about life as a necessity and a way to further elevate our standard of living.

• Greater convenience and greater efficiency and productivity

• Endless rat race technology has created with its speed and efficiency has made everyone

busier people and robbed us of more intangible ideals such as time to slow down and

smell the roses

• Many modern developments resulting from science have revolutionized not just the world

economy but the very nature of the life of the average person.

• The tendency to use technology as a form of escapism-breaking up via Short Messaging

Service (SMS) and cancelling a meeting with the ring of a phone (or the click of a button)

seem to be in vogue. Doing that allows us to shed our moral sense of responsibility and

put the blame on technology if any message fails to get through.

• Our reliance on technology has encroached upon our lives, so much so that we take

technology itself for granted.

• Globalisation would not have been accelerated without the technology we have today

• The fairly recent birth of the Internet significantly transformed the concept of mass

communications, increasing the reach and speed of information.

•

As the 20

th

century bourgeoned with artistic inspiration and achievement, modernist andfuturist experimentation even incorporated technological advancement in the quest to test

the boundaries of art.

• Technology submits the arts to crude commercialism at the hands of advertisers, who are

able to make mass reproductions of acknowledged masterpieces, which arguably reduces

the value of a piece to the lowest common denominator as people purchase such

reproductions to hang in their rooms purely for aesthetic pleasure.

• Mass reproduction of paintings has desensitized modern audiences to much of the raw,

unbridled power of the original. Encourages careless and cursory treatment of artworks in

general

• With the rise of the Internet, and the proliferation of file-sharing services such as Kazaa,

Limewire and Torrentsearcher, more avenues are open for copyright breach.

• Heightened the public’s appetite for art.



• Technological advancement has allowed for preservation of the classics and the

restoration and reconstruction of damaged prints.

• Technology is sometimes instrumental in the birth of new forms of art. Digital art would

not have been possible without the widespread availability of technological tools such as

Adobe Photoshop.

• Technological advances also provide fertile ground for artistic inspiration/fires up the

artistic imagination.

• The communications revolution and the accessibility of ‘e-texts’ have benefited the

literary tradition.

• Increasingly sophisticated multimedia technology has democratized the arts by reducing

the need for formal education in visual art/computer technology has enabled the

diversification of art forms.

• Technology has enriched the arts by making it populist where it used to be a prerogative

of an elite.

• The ideals of scientific progress and a system of ethics are two pinnacles of achievement

Man should be proud of.

• Instances of ‘bad science’, where the rights of human beings, and sometimes animals, are

disregarded in the hopes of accelerating the progress of science.

•

It is not always possible to know the ethical implications of a scientific discovery at the point of discovery. Scientific research is a double-edged sword; and it is both the ethics of

scientific research processes and the ethics of implementation of that research, that should

be called into question. The scientist should not be punished for the faults of the

policymaker.

• Humanity still does not have a unified system of ethics; neither does it have perfect

knowledge of the nature and implications of scientific research. This gives rise to

diversified views and varying moral stands. The myriad of reactions to the development

of a technology like cloning is no reason to handicap the human race by subscribing to

multiple moral standards, because the cost is too great.

• Some people assert that ethical concerns in controversial issues on the cutting edge of

Science such as cloning will do more harm than good to the world, as it challenges the

sanctity of life and questions even the most basic individuality of each human being.



“Technology has made our lives busier, not better.” How far do you agree with this

statement?

The past few decades have seen the improvement in technology by leaps and bounds and while

many would agree that technology has made our lives better-taking better to mean benefiting

mankind physically, mentally or emotionally….

Do you agree that as technology advances, the arts get more enriched and more interesting?

Technology advancements relevant to the arts include the development of the printing press, the

processes of mass reproduction inherited from the Industrial Revolution, and the

‘communications revolution’ which gave us the Internet. The arts refer to the whole of the

creative endeavour, ranging from the visual arts, literature to music.

Taking the arts broadly to be the three symbiotic areas of literature, visual art and music

“Science, unlike religion, promises more than it delivers.” To what extent do you agree

with this statement?



The history of mankind and its progress have been marked by both spiritual and material

progress. Two radically different philosophical worldviews have emerged as catalysts and

products of such progress: the empirical method of science and the more spiritual one of religion.

Many feel that the two are diametrically opposite at their deepest levels: science is an objective,

empirical interpretation of the universe while religion seeks a moral, spiritual understanding of

the world we live in.

Religion

• Religion promises to develop society morally according to universal principles.

• Most major religions preach the same fundamental principles and tenets-it is morally

abhorrent to cause suffering to or even kill another human being.

• Many people cite a religious upbringing as the reason for their morality and sense of right

and wrong.

• Religion has been used as a political tool to subjugate and discriminate, to kill and to

maim.

• In this day and age of rising terrorism, the main threat to the well-being of society is from

Islamic terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, which are run on

the pretext of fighting a religious war, or “Jihad”. Members of such organisations are

influenced to believe that fighting this holy war is a worthy cause, as it is a fight to

preserve their God.

“Science has lost its social and moral purpose.” To what extent do you agree?

The social and moral purposes of science which are to heighten the quality of lives of humans

and serve the moral needs of humankind are of paramount importance.

“To what extent is the integrity of scientific research undermined by its links with big

business?”



• Scientific research today, especially in the field of medicine and pharmaceutics, is largely

powered by profit-driven firms like Bayer, Glacosmithkline and Pfizer.

• The integrity of scientific research refers to the accuracy, reliability and objectivity of the

research findings. It is typical for clinical trials on a new drug to last more than ten years.

Such is the importance placed upon the integrity of research.

• With the increasing growth and influence of such biotechnology firms, they will possess

more clout and thus be able to apply more pressure on government agencies to speed up

the certification of their products as safe for human use.

“The world would be a better place if people put their faith in God rather than in Science.”

Discuss.

Making the world a better place is associated with increasing the quality of life and promoting the

growth of each individual nation. While some may contend that economic prosperity does not

necessarily bring happiness and a higher quality of living, without such development, the most

fundamental prerequisite for survival is threatening. Hence, this “better place” shall refer to a

world with greater wealth, higher standards of living, with people leading happy and fulfilled

lives.

science and technology key phrases

Documents