Introduction: 1950–Present
Overview
The second half of the twentieth century saw the most rapid increase in scientific knowledge of any time in history. Particularly amazing progress was made in genetics and biotechnology, computer technology, astronomy, and medical science. By the turn of the century, a greater fraction of the population used, developed, and relied on science and technology than ever before, and people increasingly looked to science and technology for answers to their most pressing questions. There were problems, however. Larger and more powerful nuclear weapons, devastating industrial accidents, and environmental degradation showed that no blessing is unmixed.
Despite its many advantages, technology's dark side and its ominous achievements made many people fear that it threatened the future of both humanity and the Earth. This is one of the fundamental dichotomies of the period. The other is that although increasingly driven by scientific and technological advances, the era was marked by a renewed interest in religion and a groundswell of anti-technology sentiment. This is perhaps an unavoidable consequence of the fact that science and technology, by themselves, are neither good nor evil, but can be used for both.
Emerging technologies also strained social relations. Many worried that an increasingly high-tech world would cease to value people as individuals.
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