This blog post examines whether scientific progress has truly brought happiness to humanity and the Earth’s ecosystem, or if it has instead caused new misfortunes.
Over the past few centuries, humanity has achieved remarkable progress. Humans can now live beyond 100 years, and converse face-to-face with people on the other side of the globe without ever meeting them in person. Such things would have been unimaginable just 100 years ago. People say we are happier than those of previous eras, pointing to the realization of once-impossible feats and the boundless potential science promises for the future. Humans always take pride in believing that they live better lives than their ancestors because they are more advanced. However, Yuval Noah Harari questions this point in his book Sapiens. The following is an excerpt from the book.
“Farmers had to work harder than hunter-gatherers, yet their food was less nutritious and less plentiful. Moreover, they were far more exposed to disease and exploitation. Similarly, the expansion of European empires advanced technology and made crops transportable. The collective power of humanity increased dramatically thanks to Europeans pioneering new trade routes. But this was never good news for millions of Africans, Native Americans, and Aboriginal Australians.”
This is Yuval Noah Harari’s view: even if such an advanced future arrives, not everyone will be happy, and even if some become happier, others will inevitably become less so. So, are we truly happier than before? Did the Scientific Revolution truly bring greater happiness to humanity? And what about the other living beings in our Earth’s ecosystem?
First, let’s examine the case of humans. As mentioned earlier, the Scientific Revolution reduced mortality rates and is gradually bringing humanity closer to the age-old aspiration of near-immortality. We can also experience the cultures of vastly more diverse regions, and the wisdom gained from this has further advanced scholarship and research. New discoveries and innovative inventions continue to emerge, and one could say that the joy of learning has grown through these experiences. Most people now eat better, dress better, and live better lives than before. But does this automatically mean greater happiness? And are there no people who are less happy than before?
Compared to the times of farming or hunting, modern working hours are much longer. In the past, people could rest for days after a single hunting trip. During the farming era, most people rested during winter. Yet today, we must work over 300 days out of 365. Moreover, the intensity of daily labor has increased. In the past, night posed dangers, so most activity occurred during daylight hours. Now, however, the development of electricity and light bulbs has conquered darkness, creating situations where we must work at night as well. Considering these points, it’s difficult to assert that we are truly happier than before.
Next, consider those who haven’t become happier despite scientific progress. Who, specifically, has become unhappier as science advanced? Prime examples are the indigenous peoples of the Americas and Australia. They were exploited for labor by Europeans, had their resources plundered, and even lost their lives. Today, they live confined to restricted areas, displaced from their original homelands. Their populations are gradually declining, and their ethnic groups may soon vanish. Given that species preservation is the paramount goal for all living beings, this is clearly close to a catastrophe. Furthermore, some people suffer misfortune due to various problems created by scientific progress. For instance, victims of cybercrime or those experiencing side effects from new medical technologies—advanced science can also harm humans. Had they lived in the past, they would at least have been spared such harm.
The same holds true for war. While wars existed in the past, their scale was incomparable to today’s conflicts. Modern warfare mobilizes guns, tanks, nuclear weapons, and more, all enabled by scientific progress. The world wars resulted in casualties and injuries on a scale unimaginable in earlier times. The damage caused by nuclear weapons, in particular, did not end with the immediate aftermath. It continues to this day through radiation-induced illnesses and the loss of livelihoods. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster area remains under restricted access. The same was true when dynamite was developed. Though science began with good intentions and indeed produced useful results, it ultimately led to immense loss of life in warfare. Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, also regretted his invention. Even today, many technologies are researched with good intentions, but whether they will truly be beneficial or harmful is unpredictable.
Thus, it cannot be said that the scientific revolution has necessarily brought humanity greater happiness than before. However, the fact that science has provided benefits to humanity is undeniable. It is just difficult to say that those benefits are necessarily greater than before. So what about other living beings besides humans? Are the plants and animals sharing Earth with us living better lives due to scientific progress?
Before answering this question, we must first consider how to define happiness for animals and plants. While human happiness can be measured in terms of quality of life and satisfaction, such standards do not apply to animals and plants. Animals possess emotions, but in this article, we will evaluate their happiness based on the most fundamental goal of all life: ‘species preservation and individual reproduction’.
First, regarding plants, it cannot be said that humans have provided them no assistance. Humans have widely dispersed certain seeds, increasing their populations, and through genetic modification, created species resistant to pests and diseases. However, this applies only to select crops. Countless plants have gone extinct as humans transformed Earth’s ecosystems. Many plants remain critically endangered today, and their survival would have been far more secure without human destruction. Furthermore, vital habitats like tropical rainforests have been ravaged by development, ultimately accelerating desertification. Ultimately, plants have lost far more due to humanity’s scientific revolution.
The same holds true for animals. While some livestock and species like cockroaches and rats reproduce prolifically, most animals face extinction. Issues like animal testing and cruelty are severe, and it is only recently that humans have begun making efforts to protect them. However, if humans had not harmed animals from the start, these problems would not have arisen.
While scientific progress has brought us many benefits, we must also recognize its side effects. These side effects have profoundly impacted not only humans but also animals and plants, and we must feel responsible for them. Animals and plants face extinction without understanding why, and we have lost much due to science. We must realize that scientific advancement does not guarantee human happiness.
