Progress is not Always Good

It is often argued that progress is always good regardless of the cost and result. I completely disagree with this opinion and think that progress is not always good. Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor, held 355 patents with dynamite being the most famous. His creation of explosive materials helped reduce the cost and increase the worker’s safety of many constructions like drilling tunnels, blasting rocks, building bridges, etc. Despite Nobel’s inventions brought great benefits to mankind, his dynamite was widely used during the wars to kill thousands and thousands of people. The misuse of scientific progress for the wrong purposes could cause severe destruction and many tragedies. Fritz Haber, the German chemist, received the Nobel Prize in 1918 after inventing fertilizers, which helped to resolve food shortage and famine problems during WWI and saved many lives. In spite of Habor’s scientific research and development contributed great advantages for humans, his creation of poisonous gas was used in the Nazi concentration camps to kill Jewish during Holocaust, and in other chemical warfares worldwide. The chemistry invention made by Haber led us to wonder whether the progress was really worth the cost. We use plastic to make many things, from packaging to cell phones to textiles. Plastic is useful to us because it is cheap, easy to use, and lasts a long time. Due to plastic not being biodegradable, our Earth soon becomes full of plastic waste, which not only pollutes the environment but also harms all living animals. Nowadays, scientists are still finding solutions to combat environmental pollution caused by plastics, while everyone is working together to help reduce plastic usage. To conclude, I strongly believe that progress is not always good because the outcome might be unexpected and disastrous. Furthermore, the progress could lead to more serious problems that humans could not solve.