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2015 TERM 2 ENGLISH WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Science is a threat to humanity. Do you agree?

CIENCE never solves a problem without creating ten more, says Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Indeed,
science can pose serious threats on the human
race, even as it solves some of our problems.
Man has been blessed with the hunger to discover, and we began to name this behavior science. In recent years, we see articles criticizing
the development in various areas of science and
technology and the threats they potentially
bring bio-printing, driverless cars, artificial
intelligence, in-vitro fertilization. I agree that
science can be a threat to humanity. Despite the
benefits these developments may bring, many
environmental or ethical issues still arise directly or indirectly with none or hardly any answers today, which may harm humanity in the
long-term.

With more advanced developments in genetic

engineering, we see more ethical issues concerning whether we should play god and decide
what genes we or our ospring should possess.
We can now screen embryos before implantation
and modifying their genes, opening the door to
the world of designer babies. This seems very
dehumanizing despite how healthy or wellmodified the baby is. More questions arise in the
dawn of bio-printing. Should we consider replacing our bones with artificial ones so that
they could be stronger? Or should we replace
our lungs with prosthetic ones so that they could
take in more oxygen? If we were to continue experimenting with genetics, at this rate, not only
are we playing god, but dehumanizing our own
species, therefore indirectly threatening the survival of humanity.

We see many countries today making use of nuclear power in the name of either defense or a
source of alternative energy. The superpowers
of the world develop nuclear weapons, and other
nations such as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea has followed suit. Many countries
such as Japan have been making use of nuclear
power in order to generate large amounts of
electricity for its people. Despite the benefits
these may bring, nuclear power has also generated many other problems. In 1945, the United
States of America dropped two atomic bombs on
the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
killing 129000 people. In 2011, the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was severely damaged by a tsunami near Sendai, releasing harmful radioactive chemicals into the surrounding
seas, polluting the environment. These are just
some of the well-known threats science and
technology brought us.

Secondly, nuclear power developed by science

and technology brings environmental problems
that may bring health or life threats to us. As
mentioned earlier, having nuclear weapons is
becoming more widespread, and that the DPRK
is well-known for spending a lot of resources on
nuclear weapons. These could potentially destroy an entire continent o the surface of the
Earth. Not only will this kill millions of people,
it may also potentially wipe out the human race,
hence threatening the survival of humanity.

TYPESETTING BY DARYL LOW (MMXV)!

Lastly, we see many developments in robotic

engineering recently, which poses many moral
issues which may threaten humanity. Imagine
terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria making use of robotic fighters
to cause the mass murder of people. This would
inevitably threaten the lives of many. Many
writers have also expressed concern over the development of robotic engineering, claiming that
if artificial intelligence continues to advance, it
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would cause extinction to the human race.

Given that computers can calculate and organize
information faster than humans, by giving them
intelligence, we render ourselves inferior to
them. In the long-run, humans may have to look
up to robots, who are more superior and more
capable in making decisions. Robots may also
want to rule the world, and exterminating the
human race. Hence, this threatens the survival
of humanity in the long-run.
In conclusion, science and technology may
bring us many benefits, but at the same time it
creates other questions regarding ethical and
environmental issues which humans are unable
to answer. If we continue with this, more problems would arise, which may be more threatening this time, and the situation would be more
serious, given that it would threaten our survival, just like in the case of artificial intelligence. Hence, I feel that science is a threat to
humanity.

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TYPESETTING BY DARYL LOW (MMXV)