Scientific breakthroughs achieved in the last 100 years have undoubtedly altered lifestyles and improved life expectancy all around the world. This has led many people to state that today is the best time to be alive. I personally do not entirely agree with this statement. While cutting-edge discoveries in the field of medicine have undeniably made our lives better, advancements in technology have brought about much destruction and suffering to people worldwide. In the following essay, I will delve deeper into the reasons why recent accomplishments in different areas have had both positive and negative effects.
First and foremost, countless accomplishments in medicine over the past century have contributed to preventing the spread of highly contagious diseases, which in turn has led to a higher life expectancy. Indeed, had it not been for vaccine developments in the last 100 years, the world would still grapple with the harrowing consequences of diseases such as chicken pox or polio. Instead, worldwide distribution of vaccines resulted in these diseases becoming completely eradicated. Furthermore, the knowledge the scientific community acquired developing these vaccines later equipped them to fight new pandemics. The Covid-19 pandemic was one of them. In fact, having already worked on an mRNA vaccine, scientists behind the Moderna Covid vaccine were able to create a vaccine against Covid-19 in record time. Thanks to the quick distribution of the Moderna vaccine, the Covid-19 death toll began to subside exponentially.
On the other hand, while some may argue otherwise, I firmly believe that technological breakthroughs have had as much of a positive as negative impact. In this case, I would like to examine their negative impact by focusing on the use of drones in armed conflicts. Not only are drones used in the army for the purpose of exploring the territory behind the enemy lines, but in recent years, they have been used to target people on land. As a result, many innocent people died in bombings, which were carried out by drones that have no capacity to distinguish between a civilian and a soldier. For instance, according to The New York Times, the Israeli army reportedly resorted to drones to target Hamas supporters and fighters. Consequently, many innocent people were targeted due to the drone’s imprecision and failure to analyze facial features.
In conclusion, while cutting-edge inventions that emerged in different fields in the past 100 years have brought about numerous positive developments, they have also had a negative impact on less fortunate populations.