One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name - Sir Walter Scott.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Scientific advancement.......at What Cost?

I must be getting old.

When I was a boy I couldn't imagine talking to my family in London and Berlin and seeing them on video within the space of half an hour just with the touch of a laptop keyboard. It's bloody amazing when I think about it. The other side of the world is over 20hrs flight away (not without risk) yet we can talk to and see our loved ones in real time by bouncing invisible signals off satellites circling our globe.

Sometimes it's refreshing to suspend our cynical view of science as a tool of industry and a threat to our planet and consider the many ways in which science, when applied in the interest of humanity has enhanced the lives and wellbeing of over half the world's population.

There is always a cost....and it seems to be borne by the other half of the world's population. Does western scientific advancement depend on third world misery ? How do we address this imbalance?

Andante

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