TECHNOLOGY VS MORAL VALUES
Today's world is facing one big issue of technology vs moral values. As technology is opening new avenues of human interferance on the strength of science newer questions of moral values are arising continuously. At present the world is facing the wrath of COVID 19 pandemic and there is a fierce debate in media and in scientific world whether the virus originated naturally or it is man made (genetically altered) . One section of scientific world is telling that the novel corona virus is a result of human efforts which accidentally came out of lab setting . This section is not seeing anything wrong in the human interference in the growth of the virus, rather this section is arguing that such efforts are the parts of scientific research to develop vaccines for future diseases. This group has no moral issue with such alteration in genome sequencing by human interference. In reality development in biotechnology has enabled the human beings to alter future generations of living beings.
Similar is the case with the development of weapons of mass destruction. The journey first took remarkable step when human beings succeeded in unleashing unlimited and uncontrolled amount of energy in the form of atom bombs and that energy was unleashed to destroy millions of living and non living within no time in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Such feats of technology have been raising the questions of moral values for the use of technology.
In fact growth of knowledge can't be stopped by any means. Discovery of knowledge is the basic instinct of human being. It is as fundamental as the urge for hunger and sex . The other reality is that knowledge perhaps proceeded the values and values have been redefined time and again by technology to be in tune with changing knowledge. Technology is a tool to translate knowledge into action. And so technology has been affecting moral values from the beginning of formation of values. Changing patterns of society along with changing technology of economic activities have been deciding factor for determining the shape of society and state.and their value system. Animistic society was the product of technology of hunting, feudal society was formed by the technology of agriculture, large scale empires were made possible by improved technology of warfares and communication and transportation, colonialism and modern capitalism were established by the surplus yields by the technology of industrialization and mechanization. Now the era of invisible communication based on technology of internet is causing fast changes in the form and intent of capitalism. And along with this, technology of biological science has been enabling human beings to move to create of life itself in a desired form and to put an end of happenings of death. Such things are not only in sci-fi stories but they are becoming reality of science laboratories.
These developments have raised serious moral questions about the limit of human efforts and of human penchant for innovations. This has raised serious debates about the capability of science and technology to make this place a better place.