Using Scientific Knowledge to Solve Practical Problems

Technology has played a big part in society for centuries, right from the earliest times when people used simple stone tools to complex technologies like the telephone, radio, computer and television. Technology is nothing but the total combination of any new methods, skills, machines, processes, or procedures applied in the development of new products or services or in the achievement of specific objectives, for instance the development of new medicines or techniques for energy efficiency. All the various techniques and methods that are being applied in this new technological era are being developed based on the needs and the preferences of the end users or consumers. Thus, technology has become an important part of our lives and it has become very necessary to take care of the technology properly and to use it properly as well.

technology

The two terms’ technology and science are usually used interchangeably and it might appear to be a strange idea that technology pertains only to the practical uses of science and vice versa. However, both these terms are to a certain extent used for describing the gradual progress of technology. Theoretical knowledge is used to explain the theories of science while practical knowledge is used to describe the concrete applications of scientific knowledge. In short, to define technology we have to take into account both the theoretical and the practical aspects. It is very clear that the scope of technology is much larger than the one of science as it covers all the dimensions of human activity: the technological, social, economic, cultural, and political fields.

Science on the other hand, although having many practical aims as well, principally for the betterment of human life, also has some theoretical aims which have direct relation with practical ends. For example, it is a theory of knowledge which states that the only way to solve a problem is to identify, describe, test, and measure a problem. In this way, knowledge can be more objective than subjective. It is also a theory of knowledge which states that the ultimate object of knowledge is man.

It further adds that knowledge is progressive. On the other hand, it maintains that knowledge is cumulative. This means that to learn something anew is not a loss but an addition to man’s knowledge. It is a fact, for example, that we are all familiar with the fact that new scientific discoveries often render previously unknown facts obsolete. We are also acquainted with the fact that the process of scientific discovery sometimes takes centuries.

Therefore, in order to define the technology we have to take into consideration the various aspects of technological development and how they have affected our lives. We have to take into consideration the great progress made by science and technology since the beginning of the twentieth century. Moreover, we have to take into consideration the things like communication, mass media, electricity, textile industry, automobiles, information technology, computer sciences, etc. Furthermore, we have to take into account the influence of international trade and the industrial revolution. It is fair to say that technology today forms the basis of our contemporary society.

It must be added that the use of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems, especially in industry and commerce, has emerged as one of the major sources of human development. It should be added that the enormous benefits provided by advanced technologies are not likely to vanish in a flash. On the contrary, the future of mankind is guaranteed because, thanks to the scientific and technological developments, mankind is able to live in a relatively comfortable environment.