Rapid Rise And Development Of Modern Science example essay topic

The rapid rise and development of modern science has a great impact in today's contemporary society. Just during the last fifty years, for example, the pace of the development of technology and computer sciences has fundamentally shaped the lifestyle of billions of people all over the world. Doubtless, today we are more sophisticated than ever before. The mankind has invented every kind of machine one can ever imagine.

Furthermore, this sky-high rise of modern sciences is augmenting day by day with a greater and greater velocity. By reading the opposing articles of The Marquis Condorcet (1743-1794) - the outstanding mathematician, one of the first economic statisticians, and the political leader of the Girondins during the French Revolution, The Progress of Humankind, and that of Polybius - the Greek historian who wrote a forty volume history of Rome, only five of which are extant, we get more insight about the effect of the rise and development of science to our social life. In his article, The Progress of the Humankind, Condorcet speaks with a very optimistic tone revealing his ideas on the paths that humans are to take in order to bring themselves and the world they live in close to perfection by eliminating erroneous factors derived from nature. Condorcet talks in great detail how the general laws of science that regulate the phenomena of universe are regular and constant and since the very same laws are applicable to all other operations in nature they should very well be applicable to the development of intellectual and moral faculties of humankind. He breaks down the progress of the human mind to three fundamental points: the destruction of inequality between different nations, the progress of equality within one nation, and the real improvement of the humans. Condorcet point out with enthusiasm: "Will not every nation one day arrive at the state of civilization attained by those people who are most enlightened, most free, most exempt from prejudices, as the French, for instance, and the Anglo-Americans?

Will not the slavery of countries subjected to kings, the barbarity of African tribes, and the ignorance of savages gradually vanish? Is there upon the face of the globe a single spot of inhabitants of which are condemned by nature never to enjoy liberty, never to exercise their reason" (Condorcet, The progress of Humankind, p. 158) His argument about the opportunities that the human race has to overcome all the inequalities, the differences in knowledge, both between classes and individuals within a nation and also among the nations, goes on and on supporting his original point of the power of human mind to better its race through the use of modern science. Condorcet looks at the history of societies as if they were flawed, far away from perfection, due to the lack of sufficient scientific development to eliminate these flaws of human civilization. His points of view indicate that now that the society is close to reaching the peak in the ongoing rise and development of modern sciences we are about to eliminate all the negative factors and make the human kind happier than ever before and free of nature. Is that possible? Is the human race ever going to be able to establish peace around the world?

His extremely detailed descriptions of human civilization and his ideas of the progress of human mind sound more like an utopia we are perhaps never going to see happen Condorcet states: .".. by the real improvement of our faculties, moral, intellectual, and physical, which may be the result either of the improvement of the instruments which increase the power and direct the exercise of those faculties, or of the improvement of our natural organization?" (Condorcet, The progress of Humankind, p. 158). We as human are very attached to nature which we often forget to fully take under consideration and to give it the respect and conservation it deserves. All the species around us are also inhabitants of our environment, the diversity of which we are failing to maintain day after day. Undoubtedly, the rise and the development of science have greatly improved the lifestyle of people in general. However, there are people who are still starving and dying from diseases. There are millions of people around the globe who cannot enjoy the least of the modern science achievements.

And finally, there are wars everywhere and they do not seem to be stopping. Is this because the humankind is constantly making an effort to diminish inequality among nations or is it because the rich nations are trying to attain more and more wealth? Inequality among nations around the world, among classes within one nation and even among individuals is never going to come close to diminishing. Even in free countries like the United States of America or Great Britain we see millions of people struggling to make a dime and pay their bills. Freedom seems to be only for the rich people. Millions of people of the "rich" American nation have to work day and night so that they can manage to survive.

The time poverty that prevails today is reducing more and more the real freedom of many American. For example, even if they have all the latest home appliances, they don't have the time to use them and enjoy their home. What about our environment? What is the rise of science and technological development doing to our already over-polluted environment? The machinery than the humans have created over the years one day is going to become an unavoidable catastrophic disaster for the entire planet. The article from Book VI of Polybius sees the history of human civilization with a different point of view.

He believes that conflict is going to lead to the decline and fall of the societies. Throughout centuries we have witnessed the rise and fall of empires. We have seen the greatness of Greece when the entire world wanted to imitate their type of government. However, the Greek empire declined and now Greece is only a small part of the world. .".. in the case of the Romans it is by no means easy either to explain the present situation, because of the complicated nature of their constitution, or to predict the future, because of our ignorance of the characteristic features both of their private and of their public life in the past (Polybius, The rise of Roman Empire, p. 303).

Polybius refers to a cyclic development of human civilization. He defends his point by analyzing different forms of political constitutions. Most of writers, Polybius says, describe the political constitutions as kingship, aristocracy and democracy. He points out that the best form of constitution is the one that includes elements of the three prevailing forms (Polybius, The rise of Roman Empire, p. 303). Polybius extends his ideas about the different constitutions. A constitution that is a one-man rule is not necessarily a kingship.

It is only if it's supported and accepted voluntarily by the people. By the same token, not every oligarchy is an aristocracy, but when it's exercised in a diligent way by those in power (Polybius, The rise of Roman Empire, p. 304). Polybius comes to a conclusion that therefore exist six types of government. Those are the three kinds mentioned above and along with the other three which have elements in common with the first three, which are: one-man rule, minority rule and mob rule.

After the correction of its defects in a natural way the one-man rule becomes a kingship. In the latter course of actions the kingship degenerates and becomes a tyranny. As a final result we see the abolition of both and witness the rise of aristocracy. In a natural course of action the aristocracy then turns into oligarchy. Subsequently, we see a rise of dissatisfaction among people because of the injustices committed by the rulers. The final result is the formation of democracy.

However, due to the disorder among people created by democracy, the mob rule comes into existence, which represents the completion of the cycle. (Polybius, The rise of Roman Empire, p. 304). Polybius gives a depth explanation of the cycle and the events that take place. The conflict appears to be the main reason of the conversion from one form of government to another. Corruption and the desire to overrule people along with the lawlessness in the case of democracy are the main factors to overthrow one form of government and replace by another.

The cycle repeats itself and the human civilization does not reach one consistent and continues form of government. Therefore we conclude that the human nature is the same throughout history. The invention and possession of new technology along with the advancement of science change only the people's lifestyle and make it look closer to perfection. The big picture displays something else.

Our environment continues to be polluted, there are wars everywhere and human mind is far to achieving anything close to perfection.