Sir Issac Newton and Albert Einstein are examples of people who have contributed significantly in the science field. These are just two examples of people who want to make the world a better place to live in. It is true that research in science and technology has brought abut developments like computers and transportation, but it has also made modern wars more frightening and widen the gap between developed and third world countries. In this essay, developments of computers and transportation will be covered, as well as a review of modern wars and some social problems like poverty.

Information technology has certainly benefited almost everyone in the world. The invention of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991 has enabled millions of people to connect to a common network at the same time. The use of computers and the internet enables people to do work and communicate with other people in different parts of the world quickly and effectively, and that is why there is an increasing number of computer users daily. Hence, the benefits of using information technology are almost borderless.

Development in transportation has benefited many people, to help them save precious time and let them experience life in other countries. In the past, steam-engine trains, sail ships and horse carriages are the main modes of transportation. Today, modern transportation modes like airplanes make frequent tours to other countries possible. Hence, more people from affluent countries can travel to other countries for leisure and business purposes. In the future, with advanced development in space technology, civilians may be able to travel to space, or even live on the moon.

However, technology has made modern wars more frightening. The recent United States’ military campaign in Iraq has proved how technology can be used to kill innocent lives. The US-led coalition forces used technological advancements to secure victory over Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. Modern weapons like missiles and Apache helicopters used by the coalition forces had killed almost three thousand Iraqi troops and most importantly, killed an unknown number of Iraqi civilians. The Iraqi army, though less powerful than the coalition forces in terms of technology, had biological weapons and SCUD missiles, which are equally destructive as the weapons used by the coalition forces. Hence, has technology helped to make the world a better place to live in? No, in fact, technology has affected the lives of people in war-torn countries and everyone else is indirectly affected by the horrors of wars.

Who really benefits from the use of modern transports, computers and medical improvements? The answer is people in developed countries like the United States and Singapore. Does science and technology benefit people from poverty-affected countries? The answer is obviously no, because they never had a chance to benefit from it, as they are poor and mostly uneducated. People from developed countries will continue to use improved technologies while people from third world countries in Africa will continue to suffer in their poverty cycle. Many people from the third world countries die from diseases like AIDS and problems like famine. Should the governments of the developed countries put in more effort to help people from the third world countries, to make the world a better place to live in?

Science and technology, has significantly improved the lives of many people. However, the horrors of modern wars and the ongoing poverty cycle in many countries remind us abut the negative aspects of technology and how it should be used to help people trapped in the poverty cycle. Hence, science and technology has only made some places better to live in while neglecting others.

3rd May 03'

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