Science Progress 

Much of the progress that man has made is tagged with science. Not only progress but also the mental outlook of man is affected by it. The greatest victory of man is control over Nature. He tried to unveil the mysteries of Nature to the fullest extent. He has been successful in annihilating distance and has at his disposal not only planes but Appollo crafts and Lunas which move faster than the velocity of sound. The telegraph, telephone, wireless and radio have  made communication so easy that we feel that the world has shrunk in size. Man has attained dreadful powers by a crash progress in industry. He has guns, tanks, missiles, bombs and so many other destructive weapons. Even a single man can kill hundreds of persons in a very short time. On the other hand the diminution of human sufferings owing to the advances in medicine is beyond all calculations. The wonder drugs of the present age have revolutionised the system of medical treatment and are giving a new life to thousands. He has got amenities for and comforts of life he had never dreamt of before. He has an electric fan – a soothing balm in sweltering heat, an electric lamp to dispel darkness, electric lift to carry him in a moment to the topmost floor and so many other amenities. To ease his jaded nerves he has radio, television, gramophone, books, cinema and many other things. He has progressed in terms of wealth and prosperity. He has invented improved methods and techniques  to step up production. He has improved the irrigation facilities and agricultural operations a lot and need not depend much on the mercy of Nature. Is this progress real?

The word `progress’ admits of so many interpretations and to some extent it is ambiguous also. Progress cannot be called `change’ because change may be for the better or for the worse. Progress is a purposeful change. Progress cannot be identified with evolution because evolution is partly a process of Nature and partly, as the modern philosophers think, a part of unconscious human effort. On the other hand, progress means an improvement over the past. Consequently progress may be the result of evolution – the evolution which is a natural process, Progress is a change purposefully directed and properly conceived. Conception is the result of planned application of ideas to life. Progress can be viewed, particularly from materialistic and moral points of view. The glittering civilization with all the attendant mechanical progress and the development of critical  faculties may be called material progress. If the world becomes riche in terms of gold, in terms of physical comforts, in terms of the enjoyment of worldly pleasures we call it material progress. By moral progress we mean the illumination of the spiritual self of man and consequently spiritually directed thinking and action. If human beings cultivate fine qualities like sympathy for the sufferers, lover for human beings, upright character and humanistic approach, we say that man has made moral progress. Through moral progress man becomes a man and not an animal; he uses moral forces instead of physical force. He uses them in a constructive manner and not in a destructive way.

All the progress man has made is material progress. As a result of this progress man has become more analytical. Objective and mechanical in his attitude. His outlook is now more scientific. His faculties have developed a lot and to a great extent he does not believe in superstitions, religions and traditions. He gives importance to mere possibilities of thoughts. He ascertains the matter of fact by observation and not by consulting ancient authorities. He accepts only those ideas which express a definite knowledge and prove their worth by discovering new facts. A result of it, he has become nothing more than a cog in the machine of social mechanism. He has lost his aesthetic sense and moral sense and has become useless as well as dangerous for the society. This materialistic progress has caused suppression of freedom, continuation of atrocities and ageless inhumanity to man. He has no imaginative sympathy for others and has been dehumanized . This progress has apparently turned man into a clever devil. His capacity to inflict sufferings of his fellows seems limitless. He has more intelligence to exploit other’s conditions and make use of their helplessness. His indifference to the cries of the hungry, the racially despised, the dispossessed is abysmal. He may be a brilliant technician, but as yet he is a pigmy when it comes to making peace and fashioning a new humanity. His constructive efforts become pale and  insignificant in comparison with his destructive use of the material progress. Appolocraft can journey to the Mars, but this does nothing in crossing the gulf which separates white man from the black man  or rich nations from poor nations. All of his ambitions, ideals and aspirations are self motivated as well as dangerous for the society. All the materialistic progress is leading man towards the destruction of humanity. It is creating more fear in the minds of the people, making them more frustrated, disappointed and dissatisfied. As a result of this, progress cannot be called progress rather it is retrogress which is bringing the doom nearer and nearer.

Man is supposed to have made a lot of progress in the art of governing the community. Right from Monarchy, man has come down to full fledged democracy. Ultimate political powers are evenly distributed among all adults except  lunatics, and criminals. The whole of the society is not ruled by a single tyrannical king. Everybody has a freedom of movement and  speech. Man is considered to be independent, free and an important part of political organisation. Judged from the materialistic point of view it is progress because man has been able to reduce the distance and has developed the methods to gather opinions of the people. Even the huge country, like India, which could never afford to have democracy, has the means to become democratic. From the moral point of view also it seems to be progress because man has recognised the claims of man upon society, and the evils of exploitation. The advocates of democracy always overstate their case, so that they expect democracy to bring millennium. But it is a superficial view and exists only in theory. If in the past man had suffered on the physical plane, now his agony is spiritual. Even under democracy an ordinary man enjoys rights only in theory but not in practice. They cannot make independent judgements because their brains are stuffed with preconceived notions, ready-made opinions. Moreover, the information they get is no more true but the manipulations of journalists and other  dynamic personalities of the press. The powerful section of the society makes the working of democracy completely undemocratic. Corruption is a bye-product of democracy, exploitation is carried on under a camouflage and all types of evil practices appear. Democracy has rather increased the gap between the rich and the poor and the strong and the weak. The discrimination between man and man has deepened which has given birth to hatred for others, lack of the sense of brotherhood, favouritism and so many other evils which lead us to destruction. Decidedly it helps in the degeneration of man though in theory it may espouse the cause of man.

If we review the internal situation we will find that man has degenerated to the level of brutes. He is always guided by the desire to dominate others. This is the reason that has developed lust for power in man. He is always busy in inventing more and more powerful and destructive weapons so that others fear him and may worship him. Despite the outward show of humanitarianism,  ill feelings lurk in the hearts of the people. Nations are made puppets by the bigger nations without bothering about the poor nations. Internationl politics has been reduced to hypocrisy and falsehood. It is now no more based on politics of ideals but politics governed by events. Every country has to take its stand after considering the interests of big countries. Even the national politics is governed by international consideration. Big countries play a great role in the internal affairs of the smaller countries. The lust for power is completely blind and treads upon all human considerations. Radhakrishnan has correctly said, “Irreligion is our malady and religion the only cure.” By religion he means morality as religion and morality are closely related. The person having belief in religion is always God-fearing. His actions are always guided by humanistic considerations which add to his moral outlook.  Even on the individual level man considers that it is not prayer that causes things to go as he wishes, but knowledge of natural laws. The power he acquires in this way is greater and much reliable than what is supposed to be acquired by prayers. The powers of prayer, moreover, has recognised limits but the powers of science have no known limits. As a result his faith in God and religion is decaying day by day. Man has become statistical in thinking.

The world needs a moral regeneration because perhaps the devil is at work upon this planet. If the destructions caused by the devil are not counteracted the consequences may be dangerous and devastation. It is necessary that nations may develop a moral outlook. Man will have to divert from his present path of progress because its destination is dissatisfaction which will ultimately bring an end to humanity. Religion must get a high esteem in our daily life. Modern progress should be viewed from the moral point of view and given a turn which may serve humanity. It is not a progress in the real sense of the word because man has not improved as far as humanitarianism is concerned.