Nowadays, scientists get a lot of criticism. In particular, their inventions are accused of damaging the environment by causing global warming. Also, people who are concerned about the possible ill-effects of GM crops tend to blame the scientists.
Many people feel that scientists are becoming too powerful. Those engaged in research on cloning have been accused of playing God. People are afraid that, one day, human beings will be cloned and that will lead to all sorts of problems. It is easy to criticize scientists and to blame them for many of our modern problems. However, we should never forget the good that scientists have done. Our lives would be a lot less comfortable—and a lot shorter—without them. If we have to concentrate on one area of our lives where science has done most good it would be medicine. Science has not only increased the average life expectancy considerably, but it has also made our lives much healthier.
This has been done partly by treatment of disease. We are used to having a whole range of drugs with which to fight infection and we have scientific research to thank for that. Without the range of drugs known as antibiotics, for example, many people would not survive infections which we nowadays do not regard as being very serious. Then there are many modern drugs that are used in chemotherapy to help cancer patients.
Medical science not only has helped to cure disease; it has also helped to prevent disease. This has been done, for example, by the use of vaccines.
Before we rush to condemn science and scientists, we should remember the good that they have done over the centuries. We should thank them, rather than blame them.
Vocabulary
Clone—exact copy of something
Condemn—criticize
Century—period of a hundred years
