Critically evaluate the application of science in improving the quality of life in Pakistani context.

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Science has improved our lives in many dimensions. From healthcare to food and from transportation to entertainment our lives are literally lightened up by the advents of science. I would be listing few of them down.

Electrification of our Lives:

Anyone can attest that electricity has changed our lives forever. We are now able to live on very difficult, otherwise unlivable places due to this. Our daily lives are not imaginable without the use of this great science wonder. improving crop production: with the advancement of crop sciences, soil sciences and genetics we are now harvesting several times more then our great-grandparents used to cultivate.

Enhancing Meat Sources: Before the innovation of broiler chicken breeds eating meat was considered as a luxury among the even middle-class folks. Now we can fulfill our protein needs thanks to science.

Better Communication: My father got the news of his father’s death after 3 days. And now we can see live events even from space and beyond. Certainly, science got the credit for enabling my grandmother to talk to me live from her home.

Miraculous Healthcare: Previously humankind was plagued by a plethora of diseases. One could have died from tetanus or could get crippled with polio. Thanks to science we know viruses and bacterial diseases better and able to cure many of them. Our life expectancy is greatly improved globally as so did the survival of newborns.

Improvement in Transportation: Advances in science enabled us to improve our mode of transportation from horseback to steam engines to oil revolution to now battery powered commute. Progress in this typical area permit the happening of globalization and rest is just the history.

Did I forget to mention Computer? Computers have changed our lives just as much as electricity. And without computer sciences modern post-2000 world is unfathomable.

The meeting was not intended to define an official North American position; rather, participants were invited in their capacity as professional scientists, to present their personal perspectives on the changing role of science in society and governance in an open forum. From this frank and penetrating exchange, a number of general observations and conclusions emerged that are relevant to the concept and agenda of the World Science Conference. These are accompanied by suggestions for action recommended by some or several participants.

Science in Transition

• In the past, our scientific methods and institutions have tended to emphasize the study of individual natural processes rather than systems, analysis more than synthesis, and understanding nature more than predicting its behaviour. And in many instancesscienchas focussed on short-term, small-scale problems, often in monodisciplinary mode, rather than on long-term, large-scale or integrated problems. While these approaches and perspectives have built up a considerable base of knowledge and led to a vast portfolio of useful technologies, especially in the 20th century, many of the problems now facing humankind can be solved only if we approach science more holistically. Greater effort is needed to understand integrated natural systems on multiple time and space scales.
• Scientific findings must also be applied at the right scales. The impact of technological interventions on individual people, communities and the environment must also be carefully considered. To do this, science needs to become more multidisciplinary and its practitioners should continue to promote cooperation and integration between the social and natural sciences. A holistic approach also demands that science draw on the contributions of the humanities (such as history and philosophy), local knowledge systems, aboriginal wisdom, and the wide variety of cultural values.
• The influence of science on people’s lives is growing. While recent benefits to humanity are unparalleled in the history of the human species, in some instances the impact has been harmful or the long-term effects give causes for serious concerns. A considerable measure of public mistrust of science and fear of technology exists today. In part, this stems from the belief by some individuals and communities that they will be the ones to suffer the benefit only a privileged minority. The power of science to bring about change places a duty on scientists to proceed with great caution both in what they do and what they say. Scientists should reflect on the social consequences of the technological applications or dissemination of partial information of their work and explain to the
• Scientific findings must also be applied at the right scales. The impact of technological interventions on individual people, communities and the environment must also be carefully considered. To do this, science needs to become more multidisciplinary and its practitioners should continue to promote cooperation and integration between the social and natural sciences. A holistic approach also demands that science draw on the contributions of the humanities (such as history and philosophy), local knowledge systems, aboriginal wisdom, and the wide variety of cultural values.
• The current trend toward privatization in many countries is influencing the focus and practice of science. While in some instances the net result may be to increase research capacity and knowledge in selected areas, there is major concern that the trend may be undermining public-sector science, especially fundamental research and efforts to solve socially important problems of no interest to commercial enterprises. Patent protection of private intellectual property, for example, makes the job of public research more difficult. There is also concern over the social implications of private ownership and control of technology, and its effect on broad public scientific literacy, and on options for public choice.
• Another major trend shaping science is globalization. The end of the Cold War, growing technology demand from emerging economies, world recognition of the interconnectedness of the planet’s biophysical systems and improved communications, especially via the Internet -- all these forces are boosting cross-border scientific cooperation and information exchange between individual researchers, institutions and governments. However, much of the expansion is occurring in just a handful of scientifically advanced countries. For science to be truly global, more effort is needed to ensure all countries, rich and poor, and a wide range of world cultures are included in collaborative research and technology transfer. This is especially important in areas like global climate change which will affect, sooner or later, all human beings. With the right policies in place, joint scientific work in critical areas such as the Arctic, for example, could serve as a model for other types of global cooperation.
• A major challenge for global science is to find institutional arrangements conducive to success. The proliferation of international networks and programs, the so-called "acronym jungle", reflects a rather ad hoc approach, necessitated in part by the narrowness of purposes of established scientific institutions and the lack of strategic, integrated support by national governments in areas like global change or international aid. What is needed is the formation of true international partnerships that allow scientists in different disciplines and countries to fully support each other’s aims and share resources and management duties to mutual advantage.