Role of Science and Technology
How can science and technology help to resolve or prevent conflicts and thus help the cause of peace?
We may now ask in what way have science and technology, the scientific method, scientific knowledge, and technological advances, developments, helped or can help resolve conflicts arising on account of the factors mentioned above, or prevent such conflicts from arising ? We describe below, in brief, the role that science and technology have played and can play as determinants of peace in respect of conflicts of each type mentioned above .
Religious fundamentalism emphasizes dogma
Science can help by showing that while science stands in direct contradiction to the dogma of all religions, which dogma separates and identifies one religion from the other, today's science provides valuable support to the ethical aspects of a religion which are virtually identical between religions. The synoymity of science with ethical values that have stood the test of time could act as a major unifying force between religions and thus help to resolve religious conflicts that have been a major cause of disturbance of peace around the world, not only in modern times but all through history.
Colonialism
The basis of colonialism of yesterday and neocolonialism of today has been largely the disparity in respect of knowledge and the status of science between the coloniser and the colonised. From history, one can take the example of India itself. East India Company which laid the foundations of the subsequent British conquest of India, came here to exploit our natural resources. They were able to do so because they had the technological ability to add value to our resources, for example cotton. We thus exported cotton to the Lancashire mills of England and imported the finished product, the cloth . As a colony of Great Britain we didn't even make sewing needles, pins and blades, leave aside cutlery and machines. It is only after we became independent that this situation was
We may now ask in what way have science and technology, the scientific method, scientific knowledge, and technological advances, developments, helped or can help resolve conflicts arising on account of the factors mentioned above, or prevent such conflicts from arising ? We describe below, in brief, the role that science and technology have played and can play as determinants of peace in respect of conflicts of each type mentioned above .
Religious fundamentalism emphasizes dogma
Science can help by showing that while science stands in direct contradiction to the dogma of all religions, which dogma separates and identifies one religion from the other, today's science provides valuable support to the ethical aspects of a religion which are virtually identical between religions. The synoymity of science with ethical values that have stood the test of time could act as a major unifying force between religions and thus help to resolve religious conflicts that have been a major cause of disturbance of peace around the world, not only in modern times but all through history.
Colonialism
The basis of colonialism of yesterday and neocolonialism of today has been largely the disparity in respect of knowledge and the status of science between the coloniser and the colonised. From history, one can take the example of India itself. East India Company which laid the foundations of the subsequent British conquest of India, came here to exploit our natural resources. They were able to do so because they had the technological ability to add value to our resources, for example cotton. We thus exported cotton to the Lancashire mills of England and imported the finished product, the cloth . As a colony of Great Britain we didn't even make sewing needles, pins and blades, leave aside cutlery and machines. It is only after we became independent that this situation was