Since the agricultural revolution pandemics had been a bane for humanity. People were so helpless and ignorant that they attributed these misfortunes to some divine cosmic power and regarded them as inevitable events of human society. When we look at the past, we find pandemics costing countries good parts of their population. As science progressed real culprits were found out and thus the ways to deal with them. Thanks to the progress of sciences that life expectancy has more than doubled and people are no more afraid of the diseases that ensured death in the past.
Measures like vaccination have made populations immune to diseases like tuberculosis, polio, and numerous others. It took decades to develop vaccines against these diseases. On the other hand, we have a vaccine for covid within months. This is nothing short of a miracle. This vaccine will revive the spirit of the world. But, the vaccine is something more than just an immunizer of humans, it is a supplement to our confidence in the power of science and technology. It is also about the way this power has been used to alleviate a major problem of humanity. But, that is not the case every time.
Science is a way of discovering facts and technology ensures that these facts are used in some way. No equation solved will answer the question of how technology should be used. It is us humans who have to decide where to use it. With the advent of novel technologies like AI, machine learning, and advanced biotechnology the power wielded by these technologies is growing beyond the imaginations of most humans. These may even change the very meaning of human life. The threats that these pose to liberal democracies, human will, and freedom are not yet perceived by most of us. I don't suggest that the growth that has set in be slowed instead we need to be more vigil. We must ensure these all work for us and not against us. By 'for us' I mean for 'common people'. While the corona vaccine is a ray of hope it is also a reminder of the power of science.
Let us do whatever we can do in whatever way we can to ensures that more things like vaccines are made and lesser like bombs, for bomb-likes of the 21st century, will be more subtle and more dangerous. Lest we end up in future of digital dictatorships, data colonies, bio-engineered humans really superior to common humans, and many other grim possibilities that cunning use of technology may result in. We can begin by being aware of ourselves and by opposing increasing incursions of outsiders(like social media corporations) into our lives.
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