PEOPLE’S COLUMN

Northern Advocate, 23 January 1929, Page 3

PEOPLE’S COLUMN

[Our columns are open to the publu for the discussion of matters of public concern. We invito correspondence, but do not identify ourselves with the views expressed by our correspondents. Letters must be written in ink and ou one side of the paper only. The real name and address of the writer must be attached to a letter, not necessarily for publication, but as a mark of good faith. —Ed.]

SCIENCE; FRIEND OR FOE?

[ To the Editor. Sir.—That (there are two sides to every question is a truth no one will deny, and every controversy or debate, whether the subjects be political, religions, social or whatever in nature, bears witness to this dual aspect of human thought. Yet, notwithstanding this genera] acceptance of the pros -and cons of every argument, insofar as they are known to exist, there is all too frequently a tendency for one side or the other to be overlooked. That this is the ease with the bearing of scientific advance upon our daily life is evident if we take the trouble to examine the subject closely. Though I, for one, should bo the last person to belittle all that science has done for us, there are times when I am very much inclined to think that the spiritual application of scientific development is lagging hopelessly in the rear, instead of keeping abreast, as is absolutely essential' if civilisation, as it is rightly understood, is to continue to exist. ■ On one occasion when Professor Soddy wats lecturing upon the possibilities of energy latent in the atom's, he somewhat cynically remarked that, if ever mankind found a way of releasing this energy, probably the first thing he would do would be to make a bomb with it. ‘‘Many a true word is spoken in jest,” and though, doubtless, the professor spoke in a semi-jestong tone (it is a fact worthy of note, that ser-ious-minded men have often a particularly keen sense of humour, thian whom Professor Stephen Peacock provides no better example), can anyone deny that what Professor Soddy observed might actually come to pass? Will any unbiased observer, especially in view of the happening of the Great War, deny that iscienee, if not directed aright, might eventually destroy civilisation itself?

Gratifying as it is to contemplate that we are so much hotter off than our ancestors, in that we have machines of every description to eliminate drudgery; that surgical operations, thanks to the discoveries of Lister and others, and the universal use of anaesthetics are robbe/i of their old-time terrors; that we can converse with distant friends as though they lived next 'door; that the isolation of the country dweller no longer exists owing to the advent of wireless; chat-we Can travel on the water, under the water, or fly in the air with equal facility; that we can do all sorts of things today which a century ago would have brought their inventors under the theological ban as being in league with the Devil; granted all these things to the credit of science, we are still confronted with the debit side of the ledger. More and more as time goes on and new marvels such as television, pictures that move and talk, and mechanical marvels that display almost human ingenuity come into being, we realise that science Iras put into our hands a two-edged sword with which we may easily destroy ourselves unless man's spiritual advancement can keep pace with his material progress.

How much of the unemployment! rampant everywhere today is due to labour-displacing machinery? Does the toiler of today reap the benefit of his hundredfold productive capacity as compared with his ancestor of a century ago? Is the sum total of human happiness increased as a result of man’s intellectual activities, or is there not rather a greater feeling of insecurity among all classes as a consequence of scientific achievements in the labour ■world- But if such be the case in peace time, how much more serious a prospect have wc to eon template in the event of an outbreak of hostilities among the nations of the world?

Those of your readers who read the illustrated papers , from England describing -the mimic warfare with modern appliances, may have some ■ slight conception of the terrible results another conflict would entail, and in contemplating isiu-h a possibility it may well bo asked: “Can it bo avoided'? Is there still a chance that in peace mankind may reap the full benefit of scientific knoweldgc, and that war may bo avoided?” Personally I an; optimistic enough to think so, but the task is beyond the capacity of the purely theoretical democracies that j exist today. Eathcr does it require i the active and intelligent co-operathm jot every individual to demand and see jto it that, the powers bequeathed to ns are rightly applied. If wo make {the best use of our knowledge we may yet. become as being “a little lower than the angels.” On the other hand, apathy and indifference, which alas are all too prevalent today, may in the last resort cause us to emulate the example of the Gadarene Swine. —t nth etc., XM..T.