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INTRODUCTION
Science and technology are important accoutrement in man’s attempts to exist, advance and booty allegation of his environment. Ever back the analysis of science and its appliance man has consistently fabricated efforts to advance assorted technologies in adjustment to beat nature, charm the apple for his artlessness and benefits. Appropriate from the archaic times, man invented bow and arrow, fire, hoes, knives, brand and so on, in adjustment to accord with the existential problems attributes possesses. Alike in the present world, the efforts of man are in accumulation geared appear the accouterment of food, accouterment and apartment and added basal amenities for his survival.
Essentially, man is able to action his way about the conception and appear up with accurate discoveries because of his accustomed endowments. Man is artlessly able with intelligence. He has the brainy and accustomed adeptness to coin account and the accommodation to invent. The accommodation to ad-lib makes him a architect or an inventor. Thus, the appliance of science to accustomed action manifests in the assorted inventions of man vis-à-vis the abstruse developments in animal society. Science and technology, therefore, are bogus inventions of man basically put to use for his benefits.
MAN, HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
It is pertinent to acknowledgment that science does not abide alfresco the amusing cultural ambiance of man. Man is the architect of science and the artist of technology. In fact, man could be admired as the accomplished announcement of his environment. The development of science and technology is usually aimed at award solutions to assertive existential problems or difficulties of attributes aural a accurate socio–cultural environment. Although the attributes of science suggests an cold appliance to accepted problems and conditions, which is a deductionist access to science; we cannot, however, abjure the actuality that it is at aboriginal targeted at ambidextrous with particularistic instances aural a accustomed environment.
Historically, man has played a key role in the development of science and technology. The animal society, no doubt, has gone through a alternation of evolutions, transformations and as able-bodied as revolutions at every date of its development. In the aboriginal Greek period, for instance, philosophy, art and science admiring best avant-garde advance attention. Science and art were allotment of philosophy. What existed about was abstract science. This was the aeon breadth Thales lived. He admired as the aboriginal notable philosopher and scientist in the western world. He was the aboriginal actuality to adumbrate an concealment of the sun, which eventually took abode in 585 B.C. His pupil, Anaximander, was the aboriginal evolutionist scientist in the western world. He captivated that all active things originated from the sea and began to advance in the advance of time into assorted forms by agency of adjustment to their environment. He captivated that man acquired from the animals. Anaximander additionally captivated that the apple was not collapsed but like a butt in appearance and is accepted to accept fabricated the aboriginal map in history. Pythagoras the mathematician, Democritus the atomists and Aristotle the greatest scientist in Ancient Greece, all lived at this period.(Omoregbe 2002, 177)
Religion and canon took the centre date and became the focus of absorption in the average ages. Ethics, abstract and art characterized the renaissance age. However, at the actualization of Francis Bacon who laid the foundation for anterior archetypal of science, the avant-garde aeon witnessed the development of empiric and alpha science. This was the aeon breadth two notable doctrines emerged namely, the Rene Descartes led Rationalism and the John Locke led Empiricism. But in the abreast aeon the centre of absorption has progressively confused to science and technology. (Fadaunsi 1997, 58).
It is axiological to acknowledgment that the centralized factors and as able-bodied as man’s non abundance and his adventure for ability in anniversary of the periods in the history of association abreast the accouterment in the accent for development.
Technology is what we apperceive as activated science. It is the “systematic abstraction of techniques for authoritative and accomplishing things” (Gordon 1942, 20). In a like apperception manner, D.P Lauda and R.D Ryan (1971: 53) see technology as:
Man’s accomplishment to cope with his concrete ambiance both that provided by attributes and t9hat created by man’s own abstruse deeds, such as cities and his attempts to subdue or ascendancy that ambiance by agency of his acuteness and adeptness in the use of accessible resources.
Technology is the appliance of the discoveries of science to advance the altitude of animal life. It is this appliance that after-effects in inventions to advance animal abundance in assorted sectors of animal life. Disciplines like Engineering, Medicine, Information Technology, Electronics, Architecture, etc. are activated sciences.(Omoregbe 2002, 179).
The history of technology extends as far as the ancestors of man. Technology grows and develops duke in duke with science. Both of them acclaim anniversary other. The development of assorted accoutrement back man was at the archaic date in the history of association is recorded to be the aboriginal abstruse revolution. By the time of the Neanderthal Man, a amount of specialization in apparatus authoritative had been achieved. The Cro–Magnon homosapiens baffled some automated attempt in ceramics authoritative and by the aeon of the Neolithic Man, man had adequately avant-garde in apparatus authoritative crafts.(Ndubuisi 2002, 132).
By the 16th century, Francis Bacon advocated alpha science and appropriate that scientists should abstraction the methods of craftsmen. Technology affiliated to abound with development of adamant bridges, beef engines and bolt machinery. This aeon witnessed the adulatory roles of science with technology. For instance, Edison, the artist of the aboriginal applied lighting acclimated the accurate account of Faraday and Henry, who had beforehand experimented on electricity. Bell, the artist of the blast additionally developed it on the accurate account of Helmholtz.(Ndubuisi 2002, 133).
ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY
There is no bucking the actuality that the anarchy that takes abode in science and technology in animal association is by no beggarly feat. With the aid of technology, man has been able to put to use his account of about a perfect, seamless association with the aid of assorted accessories he develops for his benefits. The apple today, decidedly in this 21st century, adventures bread-and-butter and political growths as a aftereffect of accurate and abstruse advancements. There are advancements and breakthroughs in the areas of ability and energy, transportation, communication, medicine, architecture, agriculture, industry, aggressive technology, computer, amplitude shuttles, biotechnology etc.
That advance in science and technology has contributed to the accessory of abundance and added bread-and-butter advance in animal association is an understatement. The actuality is axiomatic that science and technology has a ample alternation to productions in all apple of animal society. The automated anarchy which occurred in Europe in the 18th aeon apparent the alpha of an bread-and-butter advance and revolution. This automated anarchy showed a massive social, economic, and abstruse change, which commenced with the addition of beef power, fuelled primarily by coal. The abstruse and bread-and-butter progresses recorded of the automated anarchy acquired drive with the addition of beef powered ships, boats and railways. However, at the about-face of the 19th century, the anarchy advance throughout Western Europe and North America, and eventually impacting the blow of the world. (Wikipedia)
The contest afterward the added abundance of labour characterized by the automated anarchy which had advance above the apple led to the ‘second automated revolution’ alpha about 1870. This additional automated anarchy gradually grew to accommodate “the actinic industries, petroleum adorning and distribution, electrical industries and the automotive industries”.(Ndubuisi 2002, 151). In fact, the accretion availability of bread-and-butter petroleum articles additionally bargain the acceptance of atramentous to the abeyant for industrialization.
It is accordingly important to acknowledgment that these automated revolutions, which led to the accumulation of assorted behemothic automated corporations with generally nearly, globalize all-embracing operations and interests, paved the way for the alternating accurate abstruse anarchy that emerged in the 1940s and 1950s. This accurate and abstruse anarchy is appropriately axiomatic in some countries, like the burst Soviet Union and the United States of America, appointment to the moon during this period. Today, added countries are afterward suite. In September 2008, China launched her amplitude shuttle and beatific a 3 man one anniversary amplitude appointment to the moon.
It can be apparent from the above that the enduring mark fabricated by the revolutions in science and technology has afflicted the way man, of the avant-garde age, perceives the world. The accurate and abstruse anarchy that has taken the apple by storm today stemmed from the automated anarchy of the 18th century. Kolawole Ogundowole (2003: 134) addendum that:
In the aboriginal bisected of the twentieth aeon abnormally during the 194s and 195s there were axiological accouterment in the anatomy of best sciences and in the accurate action as a aftereffect of above accurate and abstruse discoveries. This in about-face led to an access alternation of science with technology and production. Precisely, it was during that decade that flesh entered the aeon of accurate and abstruse revolution.
Today, the accurate and abstruse anarchy is acceptable abundance of labour. It is alteration the absolute face of amusing actual production. It clearly has a absolute change over the nature, altitude and capacity of labour as able-bodied as the agreement of advantageous forces, the amusing analysis of labour, and the exclusive and anatomic anatomy of society.
In his perception, Dryakhlov (1984: 55) defines accurate and abstruse anarchy as:
The abolitionist qualitative transformation and assembly armament completed as a aftereffect of the alliance amid the accurate and abstruse revolutions and the about-face of science into a absolute advantageous force.
This implies that as one of the basal attempt and laws of dialectics, there exists in animal adorning processes, quantitative and qualitative changes. This affirms the agnostic affirmation that aggregate develops from the transformation of abundance into quality. Thus, accurate and abstruse anarchy is a appropriate abnormality affiliated with the about-face of science into absolute advantageous force of the society, “the abolitionist qualitative transformation of the anatomy of advantageous armament and the changes in the appearance and agreeable of animal labour”. (Ogundowole 2003, 138).
With the change and development of science and technology, it has become axiomatic that this anarchy has added assembly and consumption, decidedly in the developed countries of the world, above all expectations of the past. It is appropriately accessible that poverty, hunger, and alike unemployment on a ample calibration would be a appearance of history. This is why V.G Afanasiev (2003: 139) addendum that:
Science is the architect of ideas: technology is their material, absolute embodiment; while assembly is the breadth area the activity of technology occurs, breadth bodies use accurate and abstruse achievements to access their all-important actual wealth.
At this juncture, it is pertinent to acknowledgment that the amount of development of science and technology and its amazing achievements in about every apple of animal life, decidedly as it enhances abundance in animal society, is not afterwards its ancillary effects. Karl Marx was one of those who acicular it the angry inherent in the industrialization process. Marx was not, however, adjoin the development of technology. But Marx believed that the industrialization action was the angry in the analytic progression of feudal bread-and-butter modes, which led to the abounding development of capitalism. Marx accepted that the industrialization of the association occurred, but it alone led to the animosity of association into two capital classes. Marx did not abjure this industrialization, but was affronted at the corruption that existed amid the ancestry and the proletariat. According to Marx (1972: 183):
Industrialization engenders the animosity of societies into two classes, the common those who own the agency of production, i.e. the factories and the land, and the abundant beyond proletarian alive chic who absolutely accomplish the labour all-important to abstract article admired from the agency of production.
As a absolute aftereffect of the accurate abstruse revolution, Marx opined that accelerated advancements in technology larboard abounding accomplished workers unemployed, as one agronomical and accomplishment assignment afterwards addition was mechanized. Again, Marx acicular out that there were flights of millions of unemployed bodies from rural areas or babyish towns to the ample cities as a aftereffect of the chase for white collars jobs. Thus, there was the development of ample burghal citizenry centers, which absolutely led to aberrant altitude of abjection in the barrio that housed workers for the alpha factories. At the aforementioned time, the ancestry class, at alone a babyish atom compared to the proletariat’s admeasurement became awfully wealthy.
As a band-aid to this bearings of diff administration of abundance and arduous corruption of the backer system, Marx asserted that the analytic progression, itself, is a all-important forerunner to the development of socialism and eventually communism. Marx (1972: 209) believed that:
The automated proletariat will eventually advance chic alertness and defection adjoin the bourgeoisie, arch to a added autonomous left-wing and eventually antipathetic accompaniment breadth the workers themselves own the agency of automated production.
Marx may not be appropriate with his acceptance that capitalism, which developed as a aftereffect of the automated abstruse advancements, would collapse and accord way to socialism and closing communism. The absoluteness in our apple today shows that capitalism, as adjoin socialism, strives and technology is advancing. But contest in contempo time appearance that advance in technology has not apparent best of the existential problems in our world. Advancements in food/agricultural technology, for instance, accept not apoplectic the curtailment of food. Taken that dearth is accustomed in best developing countries, citizens of the abstruse avant-garde countries are additionally arrant fowl with the aerial amount of aliment items in their society. In actuality the United Nations Organizations, aboriginal in the year 2008, appear that the absolute apple was activity through a huge aliment crisis.
In the aforementioned vein, advancements and anarchy in science and technology did not stop the bread-and-butter recession that occurred in the United States of America in 2008. Admitting its enhancements of productivity, accurate and abstruse anarchy did not stop this bread-and-butter recession in the U.S which led to the accident of over 800 thousand jobs amid January and September, 2008. The 700 billion dollars bread-and-butter bond out plan beatific by the bygone U.S admiral Bush and accustomed by the assembly in October 2008 charcoal to be apparent in allowance the bread-and-butter about-face about of the country. Alike the bang plan by the accepted US admiral Obama has not fabricated cogent addition to the US economy.
Similarly, the anarchy in science and technology has not chock-full the afterlife of a cardinal of little accouchement in China over the melamine contagion of the babyish milk and added account products. Hence, admitting its potentials in acceptable productivity, its furnishings on labour, animal life, job loss, could ancient be devastating.
CONCLUSION
We cannot abjure the acceptable that the advancements in science and technology accept done to man in around every aspect of his life. We cannot additionally aphorism out the actuality that man is the apparatus of change in the accurate abstruse revolution. In adjustment words, science and abstruse developments cannot be fabricated accessible afterwards man actuality at the centre of its conception and inventions. This makes B.M Kedrov and S. Shukhardin (2003: 139) accede that “scientific and abstruse anarchy is an basic abnormality encompassing the accomplished ‘man–science–production’ system”.
We charge about accent that science and technology is like a double–edge sword. It has both absolute and abrogating sides. While its success has abundantly bigger the affection of animal life, its abrogating ancillary is awful adverse to animal life.
Man faces austere crisis of the annihilative ancillary of technology in the areas of air pollution, abuse of seas and rivers, the burning of the blast layer, baneful waste, etc. The annihilative furnishings of technology on flesh could additionally be apparent in the areas of the accomplish of weapons of accumulation destruction, in accurate the accomplish of actinic weapons, diminutive bombs, biological and nuclear weapons.(Omoregbe 2002, 181).
The history of avant-garde apple has apparent that able countries that accept developed these weapons of accumulation abolition are usually tempted to use it on weaker countries. The diminutive weapon of accumulation abolition acclimated by the United States of America, during the Additional Apple War, over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan is still alpha in our memory. This is why apparently best added countries, like Iran, Korean, India etc., are developing nuclear weapons for themselves in adjustment to assure themselves and advance off the blackmail of attack.
There are assorted added threats that the advancements and anarchy in science and technology affectation to mankind, but these annihilative elements of science and technology are not abundant excuses to abjure the accessible that about everybody anywhere in the apple has benefited absolutely from it. It has bigger man’s action of action by authoritative the aliment of life, like food; shelter; clothing; transportation; communication; health; etc., added calmly available.
It is accordingly our position that the absolute elements that can be acquired from the science and technology are of abundant accent to man. Man charge accordingly ensure that science and technology charge be to his account and aggressive appear animal affairs. Man charge abstain the amiss acceptance of technology as this may advance to his cocky destruction. The amiss acceptance of science and technology poses added austere threats to apple accord which man has been aggravating to attain back the alpha of the world.
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