I think the most important thing in this debate is not to list all kinds of disadvantages brought by science and technology to mankind, because if your eyes are only fixed on the disadvantages, then the other side is likely to seize this point and attack you: the other side argues that you always list all kinds of disadvantages of science and technology, as if the development of science and technology has only brought disasters to mankind, then why do we still emphasize that science and technology are the primary productive force now? Why should mankind continue to develop science and technology?
The key to answering this question lies in your understanding of the debate. The essence of this understanding lies in: Why should we find out the disadvantages brought by technology? This is the key to your point of view. Why? I remember a saying: technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can smash ignorance and backwardness, on the other hand, it may bring endless disasters to mankind. At this time, we emphasize that the pain and disaster brought by science and technology to mankind is precisely for this double-edged sword to maximize its positive role and benefit mankind, not the other way around. The so-called good medicine is good for the disease, because rational and comprehensive thinking about science and technology can make science and technology always under the control of human beings and will not harm human beings in turn.
After the viewpoint is established, there are naturally some necessary examples. In fact, the example is very good: the development of atomic physics theory has enabled human beings to master nuclear energy technology, but it has also brought about the nuclear disasters in Hiroshima and Changqi, and brought about the "terrible peace" of human beings for 51 years. For the first time, human beings have the ability to destroy themselves. In addition, there are endless nuclear accidents, among which Chernobyl in the Soviet Union is the most famous (please search online for specific data). The development of chemistry has enabled us to gain unprecedented ability to transform nature, but our gunpowder and explosives have also hurt tens of millions of human compatriots. Our chemical synthesis technology has created things that do not exist in nature, but now we are also troubled by white garbage and poisoned by chemical pollution. Why do so many children in our country suffer from leukemia now? The very important factors are the chemical binders used in home decoration and Freon that destroys the ozone layer. The development of oil exploration technology has greatly accelerated the pace of human progress. We have been able to fly at a speed exceeding the speed of sound, but it has also brought too many wars and too many disturbances, and the earth has begun to catch a cold and have a fever. The development of biotechnology gives us the power to create life which was monopolized by God before, but it also brings ethical disorder. In a word, the progress of science is always accompanied by corresponding disadvantages and dangers. Today, we must face up to these negative effects or we human beings may eventually be destroyed in our own hands.
The above answer is my answer to "the disadvantages brought by technology". These two debates are basically the same. I don't know if your debate is accurate. If so, the key point of this debate is how to treat the disadvantages of science and technology. If there are drawbacks, we will not develop, or in order to avoid the disadvantages brought by scientific development, we would rather return to primitive society. This is certainly not true, so we discover and expose the disadvantages of science and technology in order to play the role of a rational critic. For example, someone found that Freon's harm to the ozone layer did not stop people from using refrigerators, but used other refrigerants. After discovering that carbon dioxide can produce greenhouse effect, humans did not stop using related fuels, but signed the Kyoto Protocol to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The same examples are too numerous to mention, so your point of view is a rational critic. It is precisely because of rational critics that human beings have survived from self-destruction again and again. This is your argument. The development of human beings always needs some people to play the role of critics, and the core of freedom of speech is to ensure the moral freedom of those critics and the right of human beings to obtain different opinions.
It is considered that it is harmful because the world has undergone many amazing changes when human beings entered the 21th century. While people are delighted with the rapid development of science and technology, they have experienced better uneasiness and even disasters. In addition to the panic caused by the development of high technology, especially biotechnology, war and disease seem to directly bring mankind to the gate of hell.
The epidemic of SARS in p>2113, including all the speculations about SARS, is directly related to the global issue that people are increasingly concerned about: biosafety. Biosafety is a scientific and technological system for the detection, evaluation, monitoring, prevention and treatment of biological hazards. It is a new frontier discipline that studies the impact of various biological factors on human health and applies existing theoretical knowledge, technology, engineering design and equipment to prevent people engaged in related work, laboratories and the environment from being harmed by potentially infectious substances and biological toxic substances. Biosafety problems are at least manifested in the following aspects:
Great harm of infectious diseases
Infectious diseases include human, animal and plant infectious diseases, especially human infectious diseases are the most important biosafety problems, and infectious diseases are still the first cause of death in the world. In China, infectious diseases still seriously threaten people's health and national security. The prevalence of SARS is a strong proof. In addition, infectious diseases such as hepatitis, tuberculosis and influenza are still prevalent or erupting in some parts of the country and some countries and regions in the world every year
The potential threat of biological weapons and bioterrorism
In the 21th century, the whole international community made unremitting efforts to ban biological weapons and made some progress. However, in the 21th century, the potential threat of biological weapons has greatly increased, and some countries and regions may continue to research and develop biological weapons. In addition, the rapid development of biotechnology has greatly increased the potential threat of biological weapons, and the bioterrorism marked by the "anthrax incident" in the United States has posed a real threat to international security. Yuan Guoyong, head of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, was the first scholar to isolate coronavirus and found that coronavirus variant was the pathogen of SARS. SARS virus belongs to RNA virus, and the characteristic of this virus is that it is easy to recombine with other virus genes and then become a new virus. Moreover, many experimental results also show that the new virus produced in this way will be more toxic than the parent virus. Coronavirus can be found in many animals, and this virus is prone to mutation and extremely dangerous. Therefore, Yuan Guoyong believes that SARS virus has great potential to become the pathogen of making chemical and biological weapons except smallpox.
negative effects of biotechnology
the negative effects of biotechnology are mainly manifested as follows: first, when people develop and utilize biotechnology, unexpected security problems may occur. Just as the harm to biodiversity caused by the environmental release of various genetically modified living organisms is widely concerned at present. In addition, genetically engineered drugs, vaccines, genetically modified foods, gene therapy, etc. may have similar problems. The misuse and unethical application of biotechnology may also bring great security risks. The research of somatic cell cloning is a prominent example.
threats to biological resources and biodiversity
from the perspective of biosafety, the invasion of alien species and the loss of biological resources may cause great damage to national interests. The environmental release of genetically modified organisms poses a great threat to biodiversity.
Safety hazards of microbiology laboratory
Compared with other physical and chemical laboratories or other laboratories, microbiology and biomedical laboratory is a special laboratory, and everyone who works in it and the surrounding environment in contact with it are at high risk of contracting infectious diseases or affecting health. Omissions and accidents in the management of microbiology laboratory can not only lead to the infection of laboratory staff, but also cause environmental pollution and large-scale population infection. Accidents of accidental infection in laboratories at home and abroad are not uncommon. In severe cases, thousands of experimental animals have to be slaughtered, even leading to the death of laboratory staff.
At present, with the rapid development of biotechnology, biosafety has become a big proposition that affects the politics, economy, security and peace of the whole country and the whole world. In recent years, especially after the "anthrax infection incident" in the United States, biosafety issues have attracted much attention at home and abroad, and biosafety terms are often seen in government or non-governmental organization documents and in various media. The global epidemic of SARS will undoubtedly make countries all over the world pay more attention to biosafety and regard it as an integral part of national security.
With the development of economy, the accelerated pace of people's life and the improvement of living standards, the amount of plastics is increasing day by day. In 1996, the consumption of plastic packaging in China reached 2.43 million tons, with an average annual growth rate of more than < P > 21%, especially in the garbage of cities, major traffic routes and tourist attractions.
According to the survey, the annual output of domestic waste in Beijing has reached 3 million tons, of which waste plastics account for about 3%, with an annual growth rate of
48%. The plastic content of garbage in coastal cities is higher, reaching 8-11%. The waste
plastics account for more than one-third of the garbage by volume, which greatly increases the difficulty and cost of
garbage disposal.
Because waste plastics are difficult to degrade for hundreds of years, if discarded in the natural environment, it will provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies and
bacteria. If buried underground, it will easily pollute groundwater, hinder the growth of plant root system, destroy soil quality and affect crop harvest; If it is incinerated by fire, a variety of poisonous gases < P > will be produced. "White pollution" has become a major public hazard that harms China's social environment and seriously hinders the sustainable development of China's economy and environment.
At present, the annual consumption of disposable tableware in China is about 11 billion, mainly foamed plastic products. To stop the production, sale and use of these large-scale disposable foamed plastic tableware, it is necessary to develop and produce its substitute products, and green disposable tableware has emerged as the times require. Experts believe that the development and production of green disposable tableware is becoming a new environmental protection industry in China.
In mid-February, the Ministry of Science and Technology, together with the State Economic and Trade Commission, the State Environmental Protection Administration and the Ministry of Railways, jointly held an exchange meeting on the development of green tableware technology. At the meeting, the reporter interviewed Wang Zhixue, the head of China Rural Technology Development Center, and the managers of several production enterprises.
Wang Zhi said: At present, the green disposable tableware developed and produced in China can be divided into paper pulp, rice husk, straw and starch according to the types of raw materials. At present, hundreds of enterprises in China produce paper disposable tableware, with an annual production capacity of about 3 billion pieces.
The raw materials of paper tableware are seriously polluted in the production process, with high cost and poor strength, water resistance and moisture resistance
. Therefore, its popularization and application have great limitations, and people naturally look to other places for benefits from science and technology. If rice husk is used as raw material to produce rice husk tableware, there are now more than a dozen enterprises of this type in China, with an annual production capacity of about 51 million; Straw tableware is mainly made of crop straw < P >. At present, there are more than a dozen manufacturers in China, with an annual production capacity of 75 million. Starch tableware takes potato starch as the main raw material, which has good biodegradability and can be used as feed after recycling. In a word, the state attaches great importance to the research and development of green disposable tableware, and gives strong support through scientific and technological development plans such as tackling key problems, Spark Plan and Torch Plan. The production technology of green disposable tableware in many enterprises is relatively mature, which has laid a foundation for industrialization.
Wuhan Far East Green World Group Co., Ltd. is a company that takes starch as raw material, carries out scientific research and development of green disposable tableware, and its economic benefits are beginning to take shape. Su Xiaohai, the president of this company, has a legendary experience:
He studied arts and crafts in Hubei Institute of Light Industry, and went to Wuhan University in 1984 for a master's degree in philosophy, and then studied and worked in Germany. The environmental protection in Europe touched him greatly, and he had the idea of going back to China to engage in environmental protection industry. Su Xiaohai told reporters: I have studied arts and crafts, and I am an aesthete. Today, I devoted myself to environmental protection such as green tableware, which originated from my initial understanding of beauty. The extension of aesthetics is, in the final analysis, a kind of philosophy.
From 1992 to 1996, the production scale of recycled cardboard disposable tableware and reed pulp molded tableware developed by Far East Green World Company has not been expanded due to low scientific and technological content. In 1996, the company sent personnel to inspect the technical situation of biodegradable packaging products in the European market, and thought that developing vegetable starch to produce fully degradable disposable tableware products might be a way to eliminate "white pollution". In 1997, it was composed of a group of experts in food, chemistry and machinery. The company focused on the development of fully degradable disposable catering products, which was included in the national torch plan in 1997.
They absorbed foreign advanced technology and made a series of innovations in combination with the domestic production technology of paper tableware: Li
used the starch rich in domestic resources, such as sweet potato and corn, as the main raw materials, instead of the single foreign potato starch with higher price
; 21% natural fiber is added to the raw material of sweet potato starch, so that the strength of tableware is obviously increased < P >, and then the product is light and soft by using the processing technology of food puffing; The equipment for surface spraying < P > treatment and shaping is strengthened, so that the produced catering products have waterproof, oil-proof and heat-resistant functions. Su Xiao
Hai made a vivid metaphor: it is just like reinforced cement in building materials, sweet potato starch is the cement, and
the roots of all kinds of hay and plants that are chopped and stirred are the steel bars, so that the strength of tableware can be obviously
enhanced.
The tableware products made from starch produced by Far East Green World were tested by SGS in Germany with reference to international food
packaging standards. The tableware products kept in hot water and hot oil at 111 degrees Celsius for more than two hours did not deform at all, and the temperature-keeping performance was excellent. Because starch and additives are natural plant raw materials, the product has excellent degradation performance. According to the test of National Environmental Testing Center, it can be degraded by more than 91% in about 11 days, and can be completely degraded within one month.
According to the introduction, because the project uses plant starch and plant fiber, the cost is relatively low, and the cost of each covered rice box is about 1.12 yuan, and the cost of uncovered lunch boxes, bowls and plates is about 1.17 yuan, which has broad market prospects.
At present, Far East Green World Company plans to invest 611 million yuan to build a large-scale fully degradable green disposable tableware production base with an annual output of 5 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks and 3.5 billion bowls, plates, boxes and other products. After the project is put into production, the annual output value can be
625 million yuan, and the new profit and tax will be about 311 million yuan. The civil engineering of the base started in March this year, and
a standard factory building of 21,111 square meters has been built. If the follow-up funds can be guaranteed, it is expected to reach the production by the end of 1999.
Su Xiaohai said: Our scientific and technological advantages are obvious, and the social benefits that can be created in the future are also obvious: disposable sanitary chopsticks made of starch
can completely replace disposable wooden chopsticks, that is, every year < If the group can produce, every year