Tag: Science

‘Longer life expectancy creates more problems than benefits.’ Discuss.

Longer life is only good when the elderly have the financial resources to look after themselves. Longer life does indeed create more problems than benefits.

Right up to the late nineteenth century, life expectancy was short, people were considered fortunate enough to live till their fifties. However, advancements in the field of medicine has changed this completely. People have started living longer thanks to vaccines and medical treatments. Though science should be celebrated for coming up with better cures for untreatable diseases, there is no denying that science has also led to problems by stretching the life expectancy of the people. Thus, it can be said that problems of longer life expectancy outweigh the benefits because it has led to deterioration in quality of life, plus has brought various social and economic problems.

Longer life expectancy has allowed people to have multiple career paths. They are not bound to follow a single career path. It can be thus said that longevity has allowed people to contribute much more to society with their skills and talents. Unlike the past, people do not have to regret for not being able to accomplish their plans because of a shorter life span.  Longer life expectancy also allows for greater sharing of traditions and allows grandchildren to have more experience and exchange with their grandparents. Thus, it can be said that longer life expectancy has created many opportunities for people to fulfil their life goals.

However, longer life expectancy has also led to multiple problems like deterioration of quality of life. Though people today have access to medicines for various diseases, it has not helped in improving their quality of life. In fact, most patients suffering from terminal illnesses like heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s derive little health improvements. People suffering from these illnesses gradually get worse and this makes people wonder if a long life is even useful.  There are medical processes available today that prolong life but do not guarantee recovery for example, processes like dialysis, which are used for kidney failure are very painful and do not improve quality of life.

Similarly, in case of cancer, people are usually recommended to undergo chemotherapy, while it may seem to extend the life of the patient, it may put the patient in a lot of duress. While the drugs used in chemotherapy are powerful enough to destroy cancer cells, they also destroy the healthy cells within a patients’ body. For some patients the process chemotherapy is worse than the disease itself. Thus, it is evident that though medicines extend life, it creates more problems than benefits because people’s quality of life deteriorates.

Some might argue that longer life expectancy means that the older generation can guide and instruct the younger generation. The wisdom and skills of the older generation can help the younger generation overcome problems they face in their work or personal life. For example, senior employees can help younger employees to understand the challenges of work. However, it is not necessarily true that longer lives make older folk wiser. With our ever changing society it can also be said that wisdom of the past is not relevant today.  Although there are seniors that are adapting to social and technological changes, but they are few in numbers. Thus, longer life does not mean that people live a wiser life and more than benefit it becomes a liability.

Another important point is that people who have a longer life expectancy can become a burden on their children. This can lead to poor living conditions. Though children love their parents, it is common to come across cases of parental abuse and children keeping their parents in poor condition because they can no longer care for them. Japan is a prime example of this point. Japan has the highest percentage of aging population, which is expected to rise to forty percent in 2050. With changing family dynamics, more parents are being left alone by their children, which leads them to die alone.

The future of the elderly seems even bleaker when we hear cases where parents are left alone on streets to fend for themselves or abused by their own children. For example, a survey conducted in India by Age well foundation, showed that 7o per cent of the elderly were harassed and mistreated by their own family members and relatives. Longer life expectancy of parents might put financial and emotional burden on the children leading them to take unexpected steps. Therefore, it can be said that longer life expectancy brings more problems than benefits.

In conclusion, longer life expectancy is more problematic than beneficial because it leads to crippling effects on the elderly, it also deteriorates the quality of life of people and puts an immense burden on the younger generation financially and emotionally. Long life is only good when it enables people to lead quality productive lives. Longer life is only good when the elderly have the financial resources to look after themselves. Longer life does indeed create more problems than benefits.

Human actions should be based on scientific fact, not religious faith. Do you agree?

But the caveat is that it is important for those that tow religious doctrine to base their actions on moral outcomes instead of blind faith.

While there is no doubt that science is valuable and explains many concepts objectively, but we should not completely forget about religion. While human beliefs should be driven by scientific fact rather than religious facts, science should be only relied on when it provides definite answers and absolute solutions. Religious facts should be relied in the areas which are ambiguous.

Science provides objective solutions and evidence to many problems. Scientific facts explain many phenomena. For example, from the daily cycle of day and night, to the occurrence of earthquakes and tsunamis. Scientific facts have also provided us with cures for many diseases and life-threatening situations. On the other hand, religious facts have always tried to associate all phenomena with a supreme being. For example, it was considered that leprosy was a curse of god and signified impurity. Many people in the older times believed that curing diseases required penance and rituals to pacify the angry gods. However, scientific evidence has proved that diseases and illnesses are caused by bacteria, viruses and anti-bodies, which has caused many diseases to be cured scientifically. Champions of scientific fact suggest that human actions should be guided by scientific facts rather than human actions.

Science has provided people with weapons of mass destruction but only our morals guide us whether to use them or not. Though religion does not base its facts on empirical research, it does provide us solutions to moral dilemmas through dictating what is right and wrong. Though some religious practices today may be considered oppressive it cannot be denied that majority of religious teachings are positive as they teach people kindness, compassion and honesty. Though these tenets can be practiced without the need of faith, it can be said that religion provides an authoritative institute which makes sure that these principles are adhered to, It is also true that without religion it would be difficult to provide basis for moral actions. If more people considered only science as god then there is possibility that everyone can turn into doctor Frankenstein and would try to consider themselves as god. Therefore, humans should place their actions on religious faith rather than scientific facts when moral dilemmas arise.

Science also fails in providing substantial evidence of our existence of where did we come from and its meaning. The scientific evidence does not satisfy us on an emotional level as the answers provided by science are ambiguous. For example,  science fails to explain how creatures, be it human beings or even unicellular organisms have such complex and intricate structure. It then begs the question that is it just by chance or is it because some higher power has made them this way. Thus, science does not always provide evidence about such questions, and thus people often rely on religious fact.

Logically, it seem prudent that human actions should be based mostly on scientific fact. However, in the absence of conclusive evidence, we should place our faith in religion. Individuals who believe in religion should not be derided as religion gives them hope instead of just objective facts. But the caveat is that it is important for those that tow religious doctrine to base their actions on moral outcomes instead of blind faith.

Technology has had a negative impact on people’s skills? Discuss.

Without a doubt, technology has majorly impacted skills of people in the world. While the progress of technology is important, people should be careful in not being overly-reliant on it.

Human beings have always discovered and invented devices and machines for their convenience. Today, technology has taken an important place in people’s life and has made their lives easier. However, with technology, there are also problems that have risen. Machines which were created for helping humans, have made humans lazy, unskilled and redundant. Today people are overly-reliant on technology. Though many skills have been replaced by technology, there are new skills which have gained prominence today. Hence, technology has a negative impact on people’s skills.

Automation has led people to lack many skills and has caused their role to minimise in many industries. In manufacturing, from making the dough for different cookies, to cutting them in different shapes and packing them, all tasks are now performed by machines and robots. In aviation, pilots use the auto-pilot function and use electronic interface to control the flight. The pilot’s role today is limited and skills required to become a pilot have reduced significantly. With so much being done by machines, it is a logical conclusion technology has a negative impact on people’s skills.

New and advanced technology has attracted people to games that involve virtual reality and advanced graphics. Unlike earlier times, where people, especially children took time to go out and play sports like cricket, badminton or swimming, children today are glued to their Playstation, X-box, computer screens and mobile games. In today’s times it is getting difficult to find young players who are genuinely interested in playing sports as opposed to just playing sports for fame and money.  Technology has given rise to new forms of sports as e-sports but these sports are not considered as sports by many because, who play these sports do not have great skills and are of little value in the real world. While playing real sports like football and tennis may build character and give one confidence, electronic sports do not provide any such benefit. Therefore, technology has also had an impact in sports creating a negative impact on people’s skills.

Technology has also impacted people’s soft skills and communication skills. Smartphones have given people a platform to connect with people from across the world however, people have lost their ability to communicate with people with mindfully and articulately. This is evident from the chat language people use in their daily communication. For example, using just “gn” for good night, “tc” for take care and “gbu” for god bless you. Similarly, people’s friendships today are limited to the extent of liking and commenting on a picture. It can thus be said that the art of communication has been lost significantly in present times. Applications like Twitter, have given people a stage to put forth their view but it has also made them intolerant towards other people’s views. People today are quick in jumping to conclusions and make their judgements based on limited facts, which sometimes are even fake. It can be said that technology has made people lose their reasoning skills and degraded human relationships, in turn. Therefore, technology has also had a negative impact on people’s skills and the ability to communicate rationally.

Though supporters of technology often say that people have replaced older skills with newer skills. They argue that people today are more well-versed in technology-based applications. However, these skills are not as intricate and lack in finesse as well. In earlier times people used to create handicrafts and painting with hand but with technology all that has changed. Skills like stitching, embroidering, fact-checking and map reading are being forgotten in our technological driven world.

Without a doubt, technology has majorly impacted skills of people in the world. While the progress of technology is important, people should be careful in not being overly-reliant on it. Over-reliance on technology will only lead to deterioration of people’s skills be it in the field of labour, communication or social interaction. Technology has had a negative impact on the skills of people.