To what extent do crises hinder progress in the modern world?
Hinders progress
Side Score: 5
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Does not hinder progress
Side Score: 12
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Crises require resources to handle. Crises such as natural disasters require resources to handle. Aid efforts and reconstruction require huge amounts of money to carry out. For example, in 2004, the Indian Ocean earthquake caused a huge tsunami affecting countries such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Costs of the tsunami was extremely high, with billions of dollars required for reconstruction and caused losses in the tourism indusrtry. A huge cost of human lives was also incurred with an estimated 230000- 280000 deaths. This no doubt hinders progress in our world, with money which could be used for research and development and scientific progress being used instead to solve problems which arise from this crisis. The huge amount of deaths in this crisis could also include many great minds who would have come up with creative innovations to help further society. Thus, there is no doubt that crisis can hinder progress. Side: Hinders progress
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point
Even though large amounts of resources were required to rebuild infrastructure etc, and the death toll was huge, the progress made in terms of relationships between countries because of the help that they offered to the devastated country is invaluable. The sacrifice of the resources and even of the lives is worth it because it contributes immensely to international peace and harmony which is more crucial to the progress in the modern world Side: Does not hinder progress
While it can be said that the onset of crises can bring about a paradigm shift for the better or a period of accelerated advancement in technology, the scope of the question does not confine the term crises to any particular domain. In the context of political and financial crises, the existence of both the aforementioned definitely hinders the progression of technology, economic activity as well as the living standards of a country. Any financial crises will, due to the decrease of capital inflow in a country, result unemployment, social unrest and a lack of funds for the further development of technology and research. A financial crises can set a country back several years in terms of living standards or at the least, stall the progress of the country. The current Euro-zone crisis has sent the world's economy spiralling down, with many countries around the world, especially in Europe, experiencing high levels of unemployment as well as an onset of riots and protests. Such a crisis impedes the progress of the world economy as well as the welfare of individuals in afflicted countries. Whether or not a crises hinders the progress of the modern world in the long run in fact depends on the nature of the crises and while wars and natural disasters showcase the tenacity of a united people and accelerate the growth of technology, other crises such as political and financial crises will in fact impede the progress of society. Side: Hinders progress
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Without being too narrow in scope, a crisis in general will likely refer to war and natural disasters, resulting in the destruction of precious infrastructure and the death of many as well as disruption in the economic activities of a region. While this may appear to be inimical to the development of the country or community, more often than not, the consequences of such crises, save complete annihilation, will form a catalyst for an accelerated development in technology that will not only strengthen the country in the long run, but allow the country to be even more resilient to similar crisis. Taking the 2004 tsunami as an example, while the disaster resulted in much destruction and loss of lives, the relief efforts united the regions involved the countries that contributed to the reconstruction. Furthermore, with the threat of such a disaster in the region now prominent, the governments involved installed advanced tsunami warning systems to reduce the impact of similar crises in the future. Hence, such crises actually result in a stronger and more resilient country in the long run. Side: Does not hinder progress
I agree with the fact that crisis can act as a catalyst for innovation and progress. Often, crises, such as war, forces countries to accelerate R&D;and causes progress and inventions that benefit humanity as a whole. For example, he entire technology of radar, which is the ability to use radio waves to detect objects at a distance, was barely invented at the start of World War II but became highly developed by the end of the war. constructing complex pieces of electronic equipment that had to be small, rugged, and reliable, radar engineering also set the foundations for modern electronics, especially television. Radar signals could also be used for navigation, as a ship or airplane could measure its distance from several radar beacons to “triangulate” its position. A system for radar navigation, called LORAN (long-range navigation) was the precursor to today’s satellite-based GPS technology. Another example would be in the medical sector. Penicillin was not invented during the war, but it was first mass produced during the war, the key to making it available to millions of people. it was also the precursor to the antibiotics that we take today to keep simple infections from becoming life-threatening illnesses. Medicines against tropical diseases like malaria also became critical for the United States to fight in tropical climates like the South Pacific. The science and technology of blood transfusions were also perfected during World War II. Side: Does not hinder progress
I think that crisis do not hinder progress in the modern world. Crisises bring out the best in people, making them work together to overcome these crisis. This brings people together and make them able to progress further than they ever would. example: 911 Side: Does not hinder progress
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While crises itself will cause problems and may lead to the modern world having a slowed down progress, the aftereffect of the crises are lessons to learn, which could instead help us progress in the future. For example, we learn the subject of History in education to learn the mistakes made by others in the past so we would not repeat them in the future, the same concept lies here. Being able to look back at these catastrophes provides us with opporunities to learn from our old mistakes to ensure it never happens again. YOLO. Side: Does not hinder progress
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There is some merit to this argument. While individuals or countries might experience setbacks and it might be regressive, this could be temporary and more could be gained out of this. Look at WWII for example. Despite the innumerable loss of lives, many innovations in medicine and technology were made. Side: Hinders progress
Crises do not hinder progress but rather unites the world as one whole to solve the crisis or help the people affected by the crisis. Under normal circumstances, countries around the world are perpetually bickering and arguing due to economic, political or religious reasons. As such, the world is constantly fighting amongst itself and there is usually a lack of peace and friendship. However, when a natural disaster or a major terrorist threat occurs, the world that is usually divided, works together in order to solve the crisis. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the country fell into extreme disarray due to the damage done to the infrastructure and the sheer number of people killed. People from around the world saw their plight and decided to make a difference by offering help and money. Volunteers poured into Haiti to help out the distraught and terrified survivors, and millions of dollars were donated to help rebuild the country. Even renowned singers from around the world came together to write a song to raise funds for the Haitians in order to alleviate their suffering. The song is called "We Are The World" and this is significant because the song title implies that the world belongs to everyone, and everyone should contribute in helping out others in need. The song calls for people to acknowledge each other as global citizens and unite together under the same banner in order to help out the devasted Haiti. Countries and people from around the world who might otherwise be quarrelling, found a common purpose and united together in order to help the people suffering after the earthquake. Hence, we can see that a crisis does not hinder progress in the modern world, but rather helps us to find common ground in order to work together for the betterment of mankind. Another example would be the 2011, September 11 terrorist attacks on the world trade centre in New York. Thousands of people were killed and the USA was thrown into a state of chaos because of the malicious actions of the extremeist terrorist group, the Taliban. The world united behind them in order to fight against terrorism in order to prevent future disasters from happening. Even the muslim countries who are otherwise quite aggressive in terms of religion, claimed that those actions were that of extremeists and also promised their help in hunting down the terrorists and taking steps to prevent it from ever happening again. We are the world
Side: Does not hinder progress
got artists in canada also make vid to show their support for Haiti. i feel that the fact that artists that are at the forefront of influencing people in the world today due to massive interest in music and media can band together and use their talents to gain support shows that we are progressing to a more united and more connected world when i get older i will be stronger theyll call me freedom just like a waving flag
Side: Does not hinder progress
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