Epoch-Making Scientific Discoveries: Friend or Foe?

Unprecedented theories and technologies have been considered as the hallmark of an innovation-oriented society, witness the incentives of various forms the governments have come up with to stimulate such eye-catching findings. However, with the newly-emerged innovative designs such as ChatGPT, the rationality of these discoveries has been put under the spotlight. According to some fearmongers, the less disruptive and fruitful science would benefit the mankind as it prevents the development that is detrimental to the interests of human beings. However, from my perspective, this misguided and flawed idea is in a desperate need of a rethink as our society progresses and prospers not in spite of such epoch-making findings but because of them.

To begin with, the rapid development in science would bring a myriad of advantages to society and chief among them is the economic boom. That is to say, thanks to the constantly-updated innovations brought about by our predecessors over the course of history such as steam machines, automobiles, mobile phones, and the like, the productivity of human beings has been significantly improved. The first Industrial Revolution is a case in point. Prior to the invention of steam machines, the production of goods largely hinged on manual work. Despite a host of labor and money invested in the production process, the output was not satisfactory. Driven by the pursuit of higher cost-effectiveness, Watt came up with steam machines so that the production center began to shift from households to factories, thus greatly increasing the overall productivity. Looking at the bigger picture, the improved production capability has been capable of providing sufficient goods for subsistence and exchange, which in turn promotes the prosperity of commercial activities. Apart from it, the surge of innovation also contributes to the expansion of selling channels, ranging from the most traditional paper media to the advanced e-commerce, both of whose birth and advancement could be attributed to the so-called disruptive scientific research and findings. Without the innovation of the Internet, it would be unlikely for web-savvy users to take advantage of live stream platforms and other online channels to boost sales and build brand awareness. It is not exaggerated to say that valuable innovations have taken our economic development to the next level and opened the door to a more dynamic economic mode. 

An added bonus of a soaring number of scientific findings and patents is the improvement of people's livelihood. Not only has our physical wellbeing but also mental health profits from such discoveries. For one thing, the science has played an indispensable role in enhancing people's physical conditions. After the outbreak of Covid-19, investment has been put in the research and development of medicine and vaccines. If there had been no fruitful findings in terms of curing the disease, more people would have been afflicted by the aftermath of the infection. In fact, thanks to the ground-breaking findings about the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and western pills, the symptoms have been alleviated to a greater extent. In addition to their vital role in safeguarding people's physical health, meaningful and enlightening scientific findings also serve as a major contributor to improving people's state of mind. To be more specific, it is the researchers devoting their energy to the study of mental health that successfully put its importance under the spotlight. Before the affirmation offered by scientific findings concerning the most common mental diseases such as depression, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic anxiety disorder, few people were cautious about mental health and hence some suffered from mental disorders without any effective curing plans. These discoveries genuinely save them from an abyss of torture and despair as science has shed light on various forms of mental problems. 

Despite the aforementioned benefits of scientific findings, particularly those without any precedence, some naysayers show a complete disregard to them, fretting that these discoveries would eventually atrophy and thwart the development of our society. In the fearful list of side-effects these opponents have proposed, the most frequently cited one is that more and more people have been thrown into unemployment because of the appearance of state-of-the-art technologies. Undoubtedly, the underpaid, undervalued, physically-exhausting, and mentally-draining jobs have gradually fallen victim to automation and the utilization of robots. However, if we resist and even hinder scientific development for the sake of protecting our own interests, this boycott might be counterproductive and even boomerang in the long run. That is because people who argue for the slowdown of science and technology are ignorant of an important point: when machines replace us in some low-skilled jobs, more productive forces would be unleashed which could be diverted to areas where human beings are still irreplaceable. Therefore, people who have lost their jobs are able to receive training so that they could operate and maintain the machines, thus earning more salaries in a safer and healthier working environment. In a word, we should not lament the loss of jobs and blame it on science and technologies as they themselves are harmless and neutral. It is our mankind who should take the initiative to go with the tides of our time and become a trailblazer rather than a blind follower. 

In a nutshell, if we are to embrace a better world with more prospects and possibilities and eschew sluggish and frail development, there is no reason for us not to foster and encourage the development of innovation in scientific realms. More importantly, we human beings should be empowered and enabled to make full use of the most advanced findings rather than being enslaved by them.

（为真实展示选手赛场写作风貌，文章是从iTEST 智能测评云平台中直接导出的原生作品，仅供学习分享使用。）

The essay demonstrates a high level of coherence through its organization and careful attention to the logical progression of ideas. The author establishes a clear and effective structure that guides the reader through a seamless journey of understanding. In addition, the logical order in which examples are presented contributes significantly to the overall coherence of the argument. The essay follows a well-reasoned sequence by first discussing the economic benefits of scientific discoveries and subsequently addressing improvements in people's livelihoods.

The coherence of meaning within paragraphs is also crucial. For instance, in the second paragraph, the phrase "Looking at the bigger picture" signals a shift from specific details to a broader perspective. Additionally, the expression "Apart from it" indicates the author's intention to discuss another facet of the economic benefits resulting from innovation.