Essay on “Science And War” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Science And War

Essay No. 01

“Science has improved the circumstances of man, not the man himself.”- Wingfield

Modern war has become a total war. It is not two armies’ war. It is a war by all for total destruction. With advance of science war has become horrible. It brings untold sufferings. It causes death by millions. Old war was fought in the battle field alone. Modern war is fought in different countries. Modern war is fought only on land but also in the air and on the sea.

Sword is not bad if we use it in good purpose. Hence science is a good slave in our power but a bad master having power over us. There is nothing good or bad master having power over us. There is nothing good or bad but thinking (use) makes it so.

Science has placed huge power in the hands of men. Inventions are made for the welfare human  beings, but they are mostly misused. The result is that Science has become our greatest enemy. Instead of increasing our happiness, it has brought about death. Miseries and destruction in the world. War is the deadly enemy of the human race and civilization. No peace loving nation likes wars. War is an unmixed evil.

 A careful analysis will show that war is fought only because of lust for power. The basis of all wars is selfishness and ambition. The modern war takes place more for economic reasons. Now nations fight to get monopoly over the trade and commerce of a particular country.  Modern war is the fight for markets to sell the manufactured goods and to buy raw materials. The production of goods on a large scale is indirectly the cause of the present wars.

Modern war has very destructive after – effects. Generations are affected by the radio – active effects of nuclear weapons. Children are born defective. Those who escape death become disabled. There is all round misery, starvation and sickness.

For commerce and Industry a war is fatal. It kills normal trade and commerce and they are thoroughly dislocated. During the war time mills and factories produce goods mostly for the army. It has an evil effect on the trade and commerce of the countries.    War is also very harmful for the progress of art, culture and literature. Things become too dear. The country as a whole has to suffer.

The modern war has a degrading effect on public morals. During the war there is hatred and ill feeling everywhere. The feeling of love and sympathy are driven out form the hearts of the people. Moral and economic corruption prevails in the country. War is the mother of many evils. 

All the discovers and invention of modern science are used for the destruction of humanity and not for their  comfort and happiness. The aeroplanes are used for dropping bombs. The best machines are used for the production of arms and ammunition. Sciences has produced horrible weapons like Atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, tanks, poisonous gases, bomb aeroplanes, rockets, battle ships etc. In modern war nothing is safe.

If an atomic war takes place, all will suffer. The  whole world including who has no concern would be turned into ashes. It will end our civilization     from this earth. There will be chaos.

According to Dr. Radhakrishnan, we do not suffer from split atom but from split mind. When the sense of brotherhood passes away from mind and when we forget kindness, goodness and fellowship, we enter into wars. Mentality of man is the root base of war. Science can be called indirectly responsible to make war more destructive because mind makes a heaven of hell and hell of heaven. 

Essay No. 02

Science and War

Wars have been taking place from the beginning of mankind. Earlier these were combined to the battlefield and were fought with traditional weapons like swords and spears. However with scientific development, wars today have become many times more dangerous and destructive. The two Super Powers possess bombs which, in the event of a war between them, can wipe out the human race.

 
The history of mankind tells us that wars have been a recurring feature of human existence. Even in the early stages of civilization men fought among themselves. They fought over property which comprised land, cattle and women. Later on, wars were fought between kings of different countries. Wars between England and France in the 16th century are a relevant example. In our own times, two World Wars in 1914-1918 and in 1939-1945 have been fought. All this confirms the belligerent nature of man who, periodically, must indulge in wars.

 
But wars in the olden times were not so dangerous and deadly. The weapons of warfare were primitive and simple. To begin with, swords and spears were used. The damage done by wars both in terms of men and soldiers was minimal. Wars were confined to the battlefield and soldiers. Then the guns and cannons were invented. Babar was the first to use a Cannon (then known as Topkhana) in war.

 
The nature of modem war has completely changed. it is no longer restricted only to the battlefield. Civilians too are attacked and killed: In the modern warfare, it is not so much a soldier’s courage that counts, it is the nature and quality of machines that matter. The victory depends on the superiority of the lighting equipment. During World War –II Five hundred to one thousand bombers used to raid England almost every night. There was enormous loss of life and all round destruction. Innocent children and women also became the victims of war.

Swift means of travel and transport have been invented. Supersonic aerial transport and the modem means of communication have compressed the world in to small unit. Therefore, a war breaking out in one part of the world is very likely to involve other nations as well. Today, a war is always in the danger of turning into a global War.

Scientific inventions of sophisticated instruments of warfare have increased the destructiveness of modern war. Widespread destruction is wrought in war with the help of submarines, magnetic mines, tanks long-range guns, highly inflammable explosives, poisonous gases and missiles.

 
Another feature of a modern-war is that it a total war. Besides being fought on land, it is also fought on so under sea and in the air. There are submarines to sink the ships carrying cargo and men. The lighter bombers discharge lethal bomb on the enemy-territory. Thus, a vast destruction of men and properly is caused. 

The discovery of atomic energy by scientists has added a new dimension to the modern warfare. lt has led to the manufacture of atomic bombs. During the Second World War, the two bombs thrown over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan caused untold destruction of life and property. Eight thousand people were killed in Hiroshima and an equal number in Nagasaki. The successive generations till today have not completely recovered from the ill-effects of the atomic bombs. The heat-flash from the bombs burnt up objects even at a great distance. Each bomb was the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT. The explosive content in the Hiroshima bomb was uranium 235. The Nagasaki bomb had Plutonium in it.

Ever since  the Second World War, the two Super Powers-the United States and the former U.S.S. R had been vying with each other in inventing deadlier weapons of destruction. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki appears to be already outdated. The hydrogen bomb a much more destructive weapon has been developed.  This bomb has millions of tons of TNT.  The fifty-megaton and the hundred megaton bombs in large numbers are known to exist in the arsenals of the Two Super Powers. The U.S Seventh Fleet is reported to possess atomic bombs with a total explosive force 16,000 megatons. Spectrum bomb has been perfected by the U. S. A. This bomb has a power 01 one million tons of T, N. T. and can be bred by a three stage Spartan Missile.

The scientists both in the USA and USSR have perfected a far worse weapon than even the hydrogen bomb.  This is the sandwich Triple F bomb. It is a three stage device going from fusion to fusion and back to fusion again.  The-H- bomb is coated with Uranium-238. its turns into a weapon capable of spreading radio- active fission over the world.

Science has made available different types of guided missiles. These have turned warfare into a terrifying business. There now exist air to surface missiles, ground to air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, and. Air to air missiles. The inter-continental ballistic missiles can release a bomb from a long distance with perfect precision to hit the target.

 
Mans urge to destruction is heading him towards newer and more lethal methods of warfare.  Biological warfare is also a possibility now. Bombs tilled with bacteria would be dropped. “they would spread disease, poison the soil and the crops, make women sterile and so on. A biological war will even be more dangerous than the nuclear war. Also different gases have been discovered to kill and destroy human beings. Tear gas and nausea gas have been considered obsolete now. Nerve gas has been found to be fourteen times deadlier than mustard gas. These gases have much larger killing potential than other weapons. Their system of delivery makes them really fearsome. Large quantities of gas will be spread in the enemy area by surface to surface missiles and artillery with extreme ranges.

 
Science has placed in the hands of man lethal weaponry. It has turned the modern wars into gigantic engines of destruction. Although the modernization of weapons might reduce the duration of wars, the extent of destruction will be more than the conventional wars.

 
The two super powers-the USA and former USSR-have been distributing their weapons to the countries who are members of their pacts or are friendly to them they are also training their personnel for handling these weapons. 

January l7, l991 will be recorded in history as start of war in the Gulf where a variety of arms and ammunition was used and the number of countries involved was perhaps second only to World War II. The US and its allies had their state-of-the-art weaponry while, Iraq had its relatively outdated arms supplied by the very forces ranged against it. The allied used their latest bombers, Tomahawk Cruise Missiles and aircraft carriers in the war, lraq used the Soviet supplied Scud missiles. To counter the Sends the USA used the Patriot missiles. lraq sometime threatened to use Chemical weapons against the allies. These weapons can bring death in minutes or stretch the agony into hours, there is no protection against it unless the country concerned has a large number of protection suits and mask for its people. lraq has suffered huge losses in this conflict of 40 days both in men and materials. 

Taking lesson from the Gulf war the UNO and Super powers should tumours and set the human body right is many other ways. Discovery of antibiotics has made the cure of infectious diseases very easy. Open heart surgery and treatment of even cancer have become a possibility. Immunity against certain diacritics like plague, cholera and small-pox can be ensured with the help of inoculation. Atomic energy is being used to cure diseases like cancer, radioactive isotopes are being increasingly used for this purpose.

 Travelling has become fast, safe and comfortable. Long distances can he covered by aeroplanes, and fast moving trains. Cars, limes, trams and scooters have contributed to making man so much more mobile.

Science has performed wonders in the Field of communications. One can send messages to a friend over a distance to thousands of kilometres. One can even talk with ones nears and dears over the telephone in other cities and now even in other countries. Wireless is indeed a wonderful means of communication. Communication satellites like lNSAT-1B. have added to the marvels of science.

Scientific and technological advancement has brought about machines which have considerably reduced the burden of physical labour. The workers in factories today are much more comfortable than their counterparts in the years gone-by. Machines have particularly made agriculture less strenuous”. There are now composite machines which take care of cutting, threshing and winnowing of crops as also sloughing and sowing.

Science has also made life more interesting and exciting. There are numerous means of recreation which our ancestors could not even imagine. Cinema, television, radio, tape-recorders and now V.C.Rs (including numerous video games) are available to amuse and entertain us. One need not sit feeling bored in the evenings. One can now easily choose the means of entertainment one likes best.

The most important discovery of science is that of atomic energy. Atomic energy is increasingly being used for the welfare of mankind. It is beneficially used in the fields of medicine and surgery. it is made use of to produce cheap electricity. In the Field of agriculture. it is used to destroy insects and pests. ln industry, it has-increased the production of goods of better quality and cheaper in price. At this rate atomic energy may well come in handy in running trains, motor vehicles and aeroplanes.

But this is only one side of the picture. Science which has given so many blessings to mankind can be a curse also. The proof lies in the past. 

It has given man deadly weapons which he uses for destroying his fellow men. In olden times, men fought with swords and spears. A war was confined to the fighting armies only. Also the number of human casualties was small. But the two World Wars have demonstrated the destruction that science can bring about. The memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has not faded. The ill-effects of atom bombs dropped on those areas can still be seen among the children of hundred aeroplanes raided Britain every night for months together. They caused untold destruction, while the Allied planes wrought and materials were wrecked by submarines. Science has contributed to the arsenals of the countries. Submarines, magnetic mines, tanks, long-range guns, high explosives, ground to air missiles, surface-to surface missiles, aeroplanes, atom bombs, hydrogen bombs and neutron bombs (capable of destroying men and leaving the “property undamaged), and intercontinental ballistic missiles (which one country Can aim at the other by just stirring a finger) have been made available. The ultra sophisticated weapons in the possession of the United States and Russia, in fact, are capable of destroying the whole world in the event of a Third World War. 

More and more countries like China, France (even Pakistan is trying to possess) are in possession of nuclear weapons. Therefore, the possibility of the Third World War is increasing The world today appears to be sitting on a pile of nuclear weapons if they are used by the slightest misunderstanding between the Super Powers, mankind will be completely destroyed. 

 Besides tanking war an extremely deadly affair, science is also responsible for affecting the health of man. Establishment and expansion of factories has resulted in all round pollution. Pollution is taking its toll. The high-rise chimneys which belch out clouds of smoke and soot pollute the atmosphere and air, causing diseases of bronchial tube and lungs. Noxious effluents from the factories are discharged into rivers and canals. The water is turned into an active agent of diseases of the stomach. The increasing industrialization is also responsible for noise pollution. The increased decibel value in the atmosphere affects the nervous system and ear mechanism. Nervous strain makes men impatient, irritable” and quarrelsome.

Machines have no doubt reduced the amount of energy and labour to be put in by the workers But they have simultaneously aggravated the problem of unemployment. Electronic machines and computers threaten to make thousands of men jobless Introduction of machines has reduced the importance of men workers in the factories Man today is secondary to the machines He is so completely dependent on them that without these he feels handicapped. 

Science has made men more materialistic. Scientific theory of evolution” of mankind does not recognise any God or Creator. This in turn has knocked off the Spiritual basis of humanity. Godless men and women have begun to feel rootless and frustrated If there is no God, there cannot be any divine agency enforcing justice Hence, men have become callous and cruel to their fellow brethren. Cutthroat competition among men is a prominent feature of modem scientific societies.

Therefore, should we do away with science and its discoveries and inventions? Should one throw away the baby with the bath-water? If science has made wars dangerous, it is not the fault (if science as such. It is man s lust for power. His instinct to fight needs to be curbed. “Poison can be used to kill and cure diseases. Similarly, science can be used by man either for his welfare, or for the destruction of his fellow beings. Ways and means canoe found to check the pollution resulting from industrialization.  And men need not abandon their humaneness while pursuing materialistic goals.

There is, therefore the urgent need to check the destructive propensities of man rather than give up the advantages that Science has conferred on mankind.

Essay No. 03

Science and War

Science is a blessing to mankind as well as a vehicle of war. Nuclear weapons started to-appear after the Chinese first invented the gunpowder. Nuclear war started with the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during the Second World War. Millions of people died. The Gulf War II shattered Iraq economically. Modern wars are no longer confined to the battlefield.

Major cities and sometimes whole nations are targeted. Developing countries like India and Pakistan would have already become developed nations if they -had not spent crores of .rupees for the collection of weapons. There are military stations and spy satellites in .space which pose a threat to mankind. Man should utilize nuclear energy for useful purposes rather than killing himself.

Science is a blessing to mankind. Man has been able to provide himself with all the best comforts. He has turned the world into a global village. He has conquered space. He has conquered the depth of the oceans also. It is all because of science. Now man has started misusing science. Science has become the medium for the manufacture of destructive nuclear weapons. The whole mankind will be destroyed if a nuclear war starts. However, science is not to be blamed for it. Man should check the destructive aspect and use science for the progress of humanity.

Science has become an active associate of war after the Chinese invented gunpowder. Initially, it was used in firecrackers. That was a harmless purpose. But soon man began to misuse gunpowder for destructive purposes.

With the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945, World War II came to an end. The loss of millions of lives and the aftermath surprised the whole world. Property, worth millions of rupees was destroyed. The Americans used Uranium 235 on Hiroshima and Plutonium on Nagasaki. The people who survived suffered from mutation caused by the radioactive elements.

Today, the nuclear powers like the USA have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the entire world. More countries are on the way of becoming ‘nuclear powers. Modern wars are being fought with scientific weapons like tanks, guns, bomb, missiles, aeroplanes and rockets. War is extended from the land to sea, and then from sea to air.

Man doesn’t think destruction while using weapons for killing his own fellow beings. This is because of the loss of human values. He has become a slave of machines. His attitude towards his fellow beings has become mechanical.

Developing countries like India, Pakistan etc. are investing crores of rupees for buying and manufacturing nuclear weapons. If this amount had been used for economic development, they would have already become developed nations. But nuclear weapons, are necessary for national security. All nations should unite and co-operate to leave nuclear weapons. They should realize the essence of common brotherhood. They should consider themselves the citizens of one world, not of different nations.

Man can use weapons for peaceful purposes. With increasing population. Transportation, industries, etc., the natural resources like petroleum, coal, etc. will be exhausted one day. Thus, nuclear or atomic energy if used for such purposes can prove to be a boon to mankind.

Essay No. 04

Science and War

“War! that mad game the world so much loves to play.”

Man is a fighting animal. There have been wars since times immemorial. Science is certainly not the cause of wars. But the inventions of modern science have changed the nature of war. Science has made modern war much more destructive and horrible.

Modern warfare is not doubt fought by soldiers, but it has become more and more a war of machines. Soldiers still have occasion to show their valour and sense of sacrifice but if they are short of machine power, they are bound to fail.

Moreover the war of today is not only a war at the war front or in the field of war. The war of today affects the civilian population as well. A bomb dropped on a military installation can also destroy by it the civilian’s life neighbouring it. In this way the modern war is not fought only on the battle field but is carried deep into the hearts and homes of people who have remotely nothing to do with it.

In the beginning of the world, men used to fight with the help of stones and sticks. A little later, they started using bows and arrows. The bows and arrows were replaced by swords, axes, daggers and spears. Horses and elephants were used to carry the fighting soldiers. Whenever there was a war, not more than a few hundred persons were killed or wounded on either side. As civilization advanced further, wards became more and more horrible with the advance of science, gun powder was invented. Guns and cannons now came to be used. Aeroplanes made the movement of soldiers easy and quick. This made wars quite terrible wars now started taking a heavy toll of life and property.

Modern science has made things even worse. Today, man is equipped with dangerous weapons of destruction. He can cause large scale deaths and devastation. The atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War spelt doom and disaster on the two cities. The two cities were completely destroyed. Thousands lost their lives, property worth millions was reduced to ashes.

All this has taught no lesson to man. Today we hear of bombs which are thousands of times deadlier than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The atomic submarine, deep penetration aircrafts, guided missiles and poisonous gases have made wards more horrible today. It is estimated that the whole world in a matter of minutes if, God forbids, a world war breaks out, it will certainly be the last was to be fought by humanity. Nobody will be left alive to fight another war. The Third World War would mean a total extinction of humanity can’t we have a world free from wards. In the context of this possibility only, the leaders of the world are now working for the destruction or delimitation of these giants of destruction America and Russia have agreed to cut down their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. A lot, however, no mains to be done.

There is a German proverb, which says, “A great war leaves the country with three enemies – an army of cripples, an army of mourners and an army of thieves- . The greatest curse that can be entailed on mankind is a state of war. All the atrocities committed in years of peace, all that is spent in peace in secret corruptions, or by the thoughtless extravagance of nations, are mere trifles compared with the gigantic loses of war. God is forgotten in war and Devil is the ruler. It is nothing less than a temporary repeal of the principles of virtue. It is a system out of which almost all the virtues are excluded and all the vices are included. It is a concentration of all crimes, violence, malignity, rage, fraud, perfidy, rapacity and lust, all are the natural ingredients of war. If there is anything in which earth, more than any other, takes after hell, it is war.

The mighty weapons are hanging on the head of the world like the sword of Damocles. We cannot imagine the horrors of a modern war. Let the war-mongers feel the consequences of the Third World War. It is high time they take a vow never to wage a war. Let them make this world a heaven of peace, free from wars. They should act upon Pachsheel (Five Principles of Co-existence). In them and them alone lies the progress and salvation of mankind.

We can only pray with Lord Tennyson :

“Let knowledge grow from more to more : And more of wisdom in us dwell That mind and soul proclaiming well, May make one music as before.”