IS MODERN CIVILIZATION A SUCCESS OR FAILURE? | Essay | For CSS, PMS, UPSC and Other Competitive Exams
IS MODERN CIVILIZATION A SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
Outline
1- Introduction
Thesis: Although modern civilization is a success on certain counts, but comparative appraisal of its pros and cons leads to the conclusion that it is a sheer failure on major fronts.
2- How modern civilization has affected personal lives of humans
i. Rise of mental issues
ii. Breach of privacy
iii Surge in sedentary life style
3- How modern civilization has transformed social life?
i- Increase in social inequalities
ii- Lack of social interaction and socialization
4- Impact on Morality
i Disturbed moral values
ii- Precedence of science over conscience
5- Impact of modern civilization on intellectual aspect of human life
i- Intellectual backwardness
ii- Disparity between ideology and technology
6- Impact on politics
i- More confrontation among nations
ii- Globalization, clash of civilization and Western global hegemony
7- Conclusion:
Sovereign machines sound death knell for the heart
Tools crush empathic feeling (of humans)
Modern civilization is analogous to the scientific and the technological development. The scientific progress has shaped life of leisure and luxury for the humankind. Modes of transportation have been revolutionized which have resulted in 'death of distance. Life has become faster too. Astoundingly rapid modes of communication like telephone and internet have turned traditional life upside down. Health conditions of humans have improved too. Mortality rates have dropped and deaths due to the contagious diseases have slumped in number too. Energy resources have transformed lives too. Electricity and petroleum products are fueling newer inventions. To sum up, modern civilization due to the incredible development in human life seems to be a success. But reality is diametrically opposite as it has contributed more to degradation of immaterial aspect of human life. Heaps of wealth and plethora of gadgets have contributed to the mental depression of the humans rather providing them self-satisfaction. Scientific development in the modern civilization endangered human lives more than it has saved due to development of nuclear weapons. Moral perversion now prevails across globe and apathetic behavior has supplanted sympathy. Although modern civilization is a success on certain counts but comparative appraisal of its pros and cons leads to the conclusion that it is a sheer failure on major fronts.
Modern civilization has transformed personal lives of human beings for the worse. Depression, hypertension and the frenzied mentality are causing acute problems. Machines and gadgets have reduced human involvement in his personal activities. Man is no more involved in his own works. Gadgets have not only taken his place, but have made them a necessity for humans. Marx called it "Commodity Fetishism" in which people consider commodities more important than themselves. Products have become more important than human personalities. Alienation from this world is a direct consequence of rapid industrialization. Man becomes alienated from industrialization and industrial products. Frenzy takes over him and finally he becomes mentally ill. Modern civilization is synonymous with scientific development. Scientific development is interlinked with industrialization and industrialization has proven repercussion for human mentality. Therefore, modern civilization has contributed to mental problems of humans.
Privacy of human beings is jeopardized as a result of modern civilization. Like industrial revolution, information revolution is also a key aspect of modern civilization. Mobile telecommunication, cable television and inter net are components of information revolution. They are used to transfer information across globe but there is another dark side of it. Private life has become public due to without any regulation. Hacking of the computers puts sensitive and private social media. Personal pictures and videos are circulated all over the planet without any regulation. Hacking of the computers puts sensitive and private material at risk Hackers can hack private details and can publish them online. Many sensitive teenagers have committed suicides after such acts of breach. The breach is not limited to hawkers but governments are also employing similar tactics Secret programs like "PRISM" are designed to keep an eye over private life of citizens of every country. No information can be kept private now. George Orwell had predicted this in his novel "1984" in which governments had an unhindered access to private information.
Modern civilization has made humans lethargic. Laziness and lethargy are a direct result of leisure and luxury provided by modern civilization. There is no need to find food, no difficultly in covering distances and no trouble in performing daily chores. Humans have become mentally and physically dependent upon machines. This has shaped sedentary life style. Therefore, humans of modern day are more prone to the disease and the ailments.
Man of modem day is replete with money and wealth. But this money is not properly distributed. Capitalism is a characteristic of modern civilization. A major pitfall of capitalism is inequality produced by it. It is an established fact that more a country is capitalist or industrialist, the more will be inequality. Disparity between the rich and the poor craves for mere bread for his subsistence. Despite finding solutions for the curse of inequality, modern civilization contributes to inequality. This is because modern civilization and capitalism is based on the premise that Inequality is inevitable.
Socialization is a pre-requisite for promoting plurality and harmony in a society People of divergent backgrounds socialize in order to form a coherent and integrated structure of a society. Socialization promotes social order and social cohesion. Unfortunately, modem civilization ignores it in its entirety. Ceremonial debates and dialogues are arranged but without purpose. Moreover, technology of modern civilization has decreased inter-city distances but has increased inter- personal distances. Children use their mobile phones while ignoring what parents are saying to them. People don't bother to interact face to face. They prefer electronic and virtual means. Warmth of direct talk is unfelt by the modem generation. Therefore, institution of family is weakening, society is faltering and global peace is becoming more and more vulnerable.
"Wilderness is calling us because jungle of concrete is worse than jungle of nature. We are so far away from each other despite being so close."
Jack London in his novel "Call of Wild"
Civilization is supported to promote civility. Civilized personality of a human being should be a direct consequence of civilization. Morality is appended to civility Sympathy is related to morality. Modern civilization unfortunately, neither promotes civility nor encourages morality, modern civilization only targets physical and material well-being of humans. It totally forsakes moral consideration. It promotes competition not compassion. It does not ask humans to care for each other without securing personal gains, Charity with selfless altitude is unfound. Nobody takes risk for others. Nobody wants to put his life at danger to save life of another. Nobody now cares for his hungry neighbor. Nobody dares to stand up and help the oppressed and the persecuted ones. All consider deceit, lie and fraud as legitimate means to gain material success. In short Durkheim's dilemma is true. Emile Durkheim had rightly pointed out that Modernity brings a lot of material positives for u but after making us amoral.
Science has taken precedence over conscience in modern times. Modem civilization has given verdict in favor of science. It has kept conscience and morality at the back burner. Science and materialism have come to the fore and have taken control of the driving seat. Human personality and character are driven and by his conscience but by the desire of material gains. Scientific progress continuously supplies for those material gains. Science, which should be complemented by conscience, has been let loose by modern civilization. This immoral aspect of science has overshadowed conscience. Modern civilization is wrongfully promoting artificial intelligence and artificial products while ignoring human intellect that has produced those products. Man has been left alone to lurch among the creations of his own intelligence. No moral and spiritual guidance is available for him and his conscience is in state of shambles.
"Our scientific power has overturned our spiritual power. We have guided missiles but misguided men."
Marin Luther King
In modern civilization, technological progress has outpaced ideological and intellectual development. Historically, civilization had been defined on the basis of their prevalent ideologies and popular ideologues. Greek civilization is incomplete without Plato and Aristotle. Roman civilization is colorless without stoicism. Hindu civilization is hollow without Ramayana, Parana's and Vedas. Chinese civilization, until recent history, was based on Taoism and Confucianism. In contrast, modern civilization has produced no ideology or intellectual movement that can drive forward collective wisdom of the world. Unfortunately, it has not only failed to produce new ideologies, it has also devoured upon ancient ideologies. Modern civilization is antagonistic towards intellectual development of humans. Capitalism and communism are such ideologies, produced in modern times that only target material aspect of the human life. Furthermore, modern civilization discourages these intellectuals who propose an alternative to the modern day capitalism. Those intelectual are being labeled as radicals. So, modern civilization is inherently averse to spiritual and intellectual upbringing of the humankind
New ideas make new world
Mere stones and bricks are of no use
On political front, modern civilization is a sheer failure too. It is based on dichotomous agenda. On one side it purportedly supports democracy across globe, on the other side; it extends hegemonic and neo-colonial designs of the west. Governments are toppled on the whims and the wishes of the West. Low income and less developed countries are being exploited. Political and economic order of the world favors the West.
The western economies are allowed to leech off the eastern nations. Clash of civilization is in the making and is used as an excuse by the West to attack Muslims countries. Noam Chomsky has rightly pointed out:
"Modern civilization and new world order complement each other. Both
work in tandem to solidify hegemony of the West or the USA more
specifically."
(Hegemony or Survival: American quest for global empire" by Noam Chomsky)
To conclude, modern civilization is a sheer failure. It has failed to meet the overall demands and needs of the humankind. Though, it has contributed to the physical or material well-being of the humans, yet it has ignored mental and moral features. Today, man is devoid of the feelings of care, compassion, affection and the love. He is becoming more and more like robot. He has explored the far stretches of the sky but cannot plunge deep in his inner self. Man is more vulnerable in the modern civilization. Global peace is more endangered and social life is completely ignored. In short, modern civilization has torn apart mental fabric of the man and the social fabric of the society.
One who has trekked the path of the stars
He could not explore the depth of his own ideas
He has captured rays from the sun
But he could not illuminate his own dark like
(Allama Iqbal)
