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The modern scientific revolution has enabled humanity to make
remarkable progress in harnessing nature's power and potential for its own
purposes. However, it is important to avoid assuming too easily that final and
complete control is only a matter of time. In the past, progress was hindered by
ignorance and superstition, but the Renaissance set thought free, and science
struggled free from religion. From the 18th century onwards, discovery has
followed discovery at a fantastic speed, leading to dramatic advances in
technology, medicine, public health, and agriculture.
As man probes nature's laws, he seems to gain more control over nature. He can
extract precious metals from ores, move earth and forests, build roads and new
cities, defend himself with modern weapons, and ride the earth's surface by car,
rail, bicycle, and ship. He can fly high over the earth's atmosphere, photograph
the moon from a few kilometers range, and transmit the pictures instantaneously
to earth. He can even move and till the earth with giant machines, use natural
products as never before, and produce electricity using nuclear power.
However, it is easy to assume that man will soon master the world and eventually
the universe. This assumption is a fallacy, for what man is really doing is
discovering and applying the forces of nature, not inventing them. In his
applications, he is merely scratching the surface. Science may probe space, but
it cannot defeat the laws of time and motion. There is no foreseeable way in
which man could ever venture beyond Mars, and medicine has advanced, but we
still suffer from the common cold. The psychiatrist can diagnose a psychopath,
but cannot cure him. The technologist can make a robot or a computer, but cannot
begin to understand the human brain.
It seems that the giant intelligence we call God has set limits to man's mastery
over nature. Man has not and never will master nature. Nature, in fact, gently
tolerates man. The facts of man's moral nature do not give cause for optimism
either. Despite all his technological advancements, man still struggles with
issues such as poverty, war, and environmental degradation. Therefore, it is
important to remember that while science has brought many benefits to humanity,
it is crucial to recognize the limits of man's control over nature and to
continue to approach scientific advancements with caution and respect for the
natural world. |
