Essay On The Progress Of Mankind .On the surface, the question whether we are progressing seems silly. Progress is so much in the air that to doubt its reality appears a kind of blindness or a deliberate closing of one's eyes to facts. Of course, we are progressing and all our progress is due to the advances of science. Science has revolutionized human life and has worked wonders. The marvels of science are breathtaking. The last 150 years or so have witnessed changes and developments in the art of living that would seem incredible to a man of the 17th or 18th century.. Mankind has made an amazing progress in almost every walk of life.
Medicine and surgery have made enormous strides. Science has found the answer to almost every disease. Inoculations. injections, antibiotic drugs, anaesthetics which have made surgical operations painless, provision of artificial limbs, the discovery of X- ray, the application of atomic energy to the treatment of tumours and of cancer, the use of radioactive isotopes in the treatment of scores of diseases -- these are only some of the numerous miracles of science. Science has, in other words contributed enormously to the relief of human sufferings. Scientiic measures have resulted in a reduction of infant mortality, in healthy and disease-n e living, and in the longevity of life.
The use of scientific methods and scientific machinery has greatly increased the yield from the soil and has also increased the production of goods and commodities which have become .necessities of life. Both agriculture and industrial production have risen enormously. Famines and scarcities are becoming rare. The standards of living has gone up.
Life has become not only comfortable, but luxurious also. Electricity has made life really worth living. Manual labour which used to tire and bore has given way to machinery. Scores of electric household appliance have introduced every sort of comfort in life. The means of transport and communications have been quickened beyond expectation. One can fly from 'Pakistan to Britain less than twelve hours, and from Britain to the U.S.A. in less than six hours.
Education is no longer confined to a select minority. Educational schemes and programmes have led to mass literacy even in countries which are still backward technologically. The number of books and newspapers has been rising fast in the world.. The reading• habit has become common. People have begun to think for themselves and to form their own independent judgments. Ignorance and superstition have been driven away. The dissemination of knowledge on a vast scale is a striking feature of our tithes. Religion is no longer the bone of contention or the cause of international wars.
The success of space flights marks the progress of mankind in yet another field. The moon and the other planets of the solar system are no longer a baffling mystery. They are yielding their secrets to the incessant scrutiny of' man. The conquest of the forces of Nature is going apace. Scores of man-made satellites are circling the earth and collecting valuable data. The manned flights around the earth are an important step towards the conquest of space.
Politically, most of the countries of the world have become independent and those which are still under the domination of others bid fair to become free at an early date. The right of every country to govern itself has been finally recognized. Not only that the more prosperous nations have realized their duty to render aid and help of all kinds to the backward nations. The U.N.O. and its specialized agencies have already' done a lot for the backward countries. The development decade of the U.N.O. has substantial targets to reach and w ill result in an enormous uplift of the wretched people of underdeveloped nations.'
In view of these achievements in various spheres of life the progress of mankind cannot be doubted. We have certainly' progressed a great deal, and we are still progressing. Man's mind knows no limits and no boundaries. Man's curiosity is insatiable and his craving for perfection irrepressible. And yet there is a dark side to human achievements. The progress mankind has made is tainted by man's shortcomings and man's perversity.
If the divine element in man is leading him to progress, there is also in him the devilish or
demonaic element which pulls him backward. If religious intolerance has largely been eliminated from the world. political intolerance has taken its place and threatens to be a cause of greater disruption and destruction than religious intolerance ever was . The world is today divided into two camps -- communism and democracy -- and the two are at loggerheads with each other.
Mankind has made technological and material progress on a scale difficult to measure. But mankind has lost some of the most precious values of life. The principle of brotherhood of man seems to have no longer any meaning. Men are today the salves of certain political slogans and catchwords. Apart from political fanaticism under the aegis of communism, another stigma on the name of mankind is racial hatred, especially in South Africa and the U.S.A. Nor does mankind have any spiritual values any more. Science has given a heavy blow to religious and spiritual beliefs, so that man finds himself today in a kind of wilderness, without any anchor or support. Morally too, the world is plunged into anarchy.
Sexual morality, particularly, is at a low ebb. Sentiment and feeling have also dried up in the heats of men. Selfishness and callousness are the order of the day.
Medicine and surgery have made enormous strides. Science has found the answer to almost every disease. Inoculations. injections, antibiotic drugs, anaesthetics which have made surgical operations painless, provision of artificial limbs, the discovery of X- ray, the application of atomic energy to the treatment of tumours and of cancer, the use of radioactive isotopes in the treatment of scores of diseases -- these are only some of the numerous miracles of science. Science has, in other words contributed enormously to the relief of human sufferings. Scientiic measures have resulted in a reduction of infant mortality, in healthy and disease-n e living, and in the longevity of life.
The use of scientific methods and scientific machinery has greatly increased the yield from the soil and has also increased the production of goods and commodities which have become .necessities of life. Both agriculture and industrial production have risen enormously. Famines and scarcities are becoming rare. The standards of living has gone up.
Life has become not only comfortable, but luxurious also. Electricity has made life really worth living. Manual labour which used to tire and bore has given way to machinery. Scores of electric household appliance have introduced every sort of comfort in life. The means of transport and communications have been quickened beyond expectation. One can fly from 'Pakistan to Britain less than twelve hours, and from Britain to the U.S.A. in less than six hours.
Education is no longer confined to a select minority. Educational schemes and programmes have led to mass literacy even in countries which are still backward technologically. The number of books and newspapers has been rising fast in the world.. The reading• habit has become common. People have begun to think for themselves and to form their own independent judgments. Ignorance and superstition have been driven away. The dissemination of knowledge on a vast scale is a striking feature of our tithes. Religion is no longer the bone of contention or the cause of international wars.
The success of space flights marks the progress of mankind in yet another field. The moon and the other planets of the solar system are no longer a baffling mystery. They are yielding their secrets to the incessant scrutiny of' man. The conquest of the forces of Nature is going apace. Scores of man-made satellites are circling the earth and collecting valuable data. The manned flights around the earth are an important step towards the conquest of space.
Politically, most of the countries of the world have become independent and those which are still under the domination of others bid fair to become free at an early date. The right of every country to govern itself has been finally recognized. Not only that the more prosperous nations have realized their duty to render aid and help of all kinds to the backward nations. The U.N.O. and its specialized agencies have already' done a lot for the backward countries. The development decade of the U.N.O. has substantial targets to reach and w ill result in an enormous uplift of the wretched people of underdeveloped nations.'
In view of these achievements in various spheres of life the progress of mankind cannot be doubted. We have certainly' progressed a great deal, and we are still progressing. Man's mind knows no limits and no boundaries. Man's curiosity is insatiable and his craving for perfection irrepressible. And yet there is a dark side to human achievements. The progress mankind has made is tainted by man's shortcomings and man's perversity.
If the divine element in man is leading him to progress, there is also in him the devilish or
demonaic element which pulls him backward. If religious intolerance has largely been eliminated from the world. political intolerance has taken its place and threatens to be a cause of greater disruption and destruction than religious intolerance ever was . The world is today divided into two camps -- communism and democracy -- and the two are at loggerheads with each other.
Mankind has made technological and material progress on a scale difficult to measure. But mankind has lost some of the most precious values of life. The principle of brotherhood of man seems to have no longer any meaning. Men are today the salves of certain political slogans and catchwords. Apart from political fanaticism under the aegis of communism, another stigma on the name of mankind is racial hatred, especially in South Africa and the U.S.A. Nor does mankind have any spiritual values any more. Science has given a heavy blow to religious and spiritual beliefs, so that man finds himself today in a kind of wilderness, without any anchor or support. Morally too, the world is plunged into anarchy.
Sexual morality, particularly, is at a low ebb. Sentiment and feeling have also dried up in the heats of men. Selfishness and callousness are the order of the day.
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