Science is the knowledge of the causes, laws and history of the origin, existence, developmentgradual change, and transformation etc. of matter.

The knowledge pertaining to the earth and other planets of our solar system, orbiting in space comes under cosmology. The naturalistic and historical knowledge pertaining to the Earth with all its matter which includes the plant world, animal world and the human world, is divided into various science discipline like Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Biology, Botany, Anthropology, Ethnology, Psychiatry, Social Science, Ecology etc. Mathematics (dealing with numbers, quantity, zero, space) is an indispensable part of Science.

Science and its various branches came into being as a result of the tireless efforts of scientists to unravel the mysteries of the unknown and the knowledge derived from the research and explorations. The devotees of science are, truly speaking, the scientists of society.

The progress of knowledge and science is intrinsically linked with the progress of mankind. When man set off on the path to progress he stopped relying merely on what nature provided him for survival; instead, with the help of his own intrinsic physical and mental labour, he devised tools for procuring food, fashioning clothes and building shelters: for example, devising weapons for hunting animals, birds and fish, shaping tools for farming and tilling, spinning threads from tree bark to be woven into clothes, crafting tools for building shelters from broken stones. This, in turn, gave rise to technology and technological development. Technology was the precursor to science. Had the telescope not been invented it wouldn’t have been possible for man to discover the laws governing the movements of planets and stars in space.

Technology is the mechanical means by which ideas oriented to achievement of material goals is applied. Knowledge (ideas) about matter is elevated into scientific theory-science only when their correctness is proved through application or practice. Between ideas (theory) and practice, practice is primary; as correct scientific knowledge is arrived at through experiences gathered from repeated practice, and new theories are formulated from application of this scientific knowledge. Application techniques (Technology) and science are inseparably linked; hence technology is an indispensable part of science.

Science and technology are creations of mankind and an index of the continual development of society. This development owes its origin to the practical results borne out of the indomitable desire to use nature and natural environment to fulfil man’s needs. Man was dependent upon nature before he became aware of the laws of nature. Once he began to know the laws, he has been deploying them to achieve his desired goals. The history of human progress acts as an eye openerreveals truth makes man scientifically conscious.

Therefore, it’s proper that certain things concerning the history of Human progress be mentioned.The prehistoric age lasted for an estimated sixty thousand years. At this stage mankind attained and developed technological knowledge.

Due to the absence of any written narrative documenting the history of thousands of years since the emergence of mankind from the animal world, this period is characterized as the Prehistoric Age. The historical Age began with the invention of scripts.

It was only in the Nineteenth Century that research in the true sense began to gain knowledge about prehistoric human society. Notable among the researchers were Swiss jurist and historian Johann Jacob Bacofen, Scottish jurist and historian John Fergusson McLennan and US anthropologist and archaeologist Lewis Henry Morgan.Friedrich Engels wrote the book, ‘The origin of Family,Private property and State’ based on their research findings about the then society and its development.

During the prehistoric period, early man living in his primeval homeland was completely dependent on nature for sustenance and existence.Later while wandering along river banks and sea coasts in search of food he discovered new food, devised new tools for gathering food and building shelter sand acquired tool making skills. At this phase he began transitioning from nomadic life to permanent settled existence through activities like digging out roots and stems, shaping stone weapons for hunting and fishing, making bows and arrows, making fire by rubbing wooden sticks or striking stones together, building shelters using wood, bamboo or even stone blocks, weaving clothes using tree fibre, taming animals and birds, shaping wooden and iron ploughs for tilling etc.

Different languages belonging to different ethnic groups developed. Though it would take him a while before he invented alphabets and script, Man learned to paint during this period. The paintings of animals on cave walls are a case in point.But no instances of emergence of knowledge concerning the laws of nature could be found at this phase. What posed an obstacle to the dawning of this knowledge in their consciousness was the planting of the supernatural idea in their minds that the visible world of space (heaven) was the original home of man, by clan leaders or chiefs.This supernatural power governs everything and is all powerful. Hence, it is one’s duty to worship this power as god. Thus the practice of worshipping imaginary beings as gods and goddesses of an imaginary heaven began. Singing and dancing along with worship and sacrifices to appease gods is part of every religious festival. Apart from that in ancient times different clans belonging to particular tribes were identified by different animals; hunting these animals was banned and they were worshipped as divinities. For instance, in Morgan’s writings we find that the Seneca clans of the Iroquoian tribe were symbolized by wolf, bear, turtle, deer, heron and eagle. Droughts, floods, natural storms, blizzards, famines were considered manifestations of the wrath of god and appeasing him through sacrifices would be prescribed. Magic emerged as charm or incantation performed by sages endowed with supernatural abilities, to serve one’s interests by appeasing supernatural powers (gods and goddesses).Thus magic came into being. In essence, the origin of religion lay in man’s dependence on natural forces and his helplessness in the face of these forces. Veneration of earth, sun, fire and rain gods, stemming from the indispensability of nature’s contributions-soil, sunshine, fire, rain etc.in sustaining life and in agricultural production, was widespread (and is still prevalent).

In the past human society was based on clan or tribal units, matriarchal and communistic.In the beginning tribes and clans were constituted by people related matrilineally. This was so as in the early days promiscuous sexual relationship was the norm in society. As paternity of children could not be determined, lineage would be determined matrilineally, according to the mother’s right.

Hence women occupied a position of high honour and respect on account of being mothers of the next generation. Thus matriarchal societies came into being. Clans were akin to families. The members, irrespective of gender, took part in food gathering collectively and dined together.This is why primitive society has been characterized as communistic.

During the transition from wild state to the so called civilized society, population grew and clans broke up into newer clans and sub clans. Joint families split into nuclear husband –wife families. Economic changes kept happening. Animal husbandry and agriculture replaced hunting and fishing.

Copper and tin were smelted and used, production and use of bronze, an alloy of these two metals became prevalent. Tools became developed, weapons of war were made. Battlesbetween clans over right to forest tracts and land began. Warprisoners were turned into slaves. Sometimes all the members of a defeated clan were enslaved. The ever increasing demand for labour power in animal rearing and agriculture was fulfilled by these prisoners of war turned slaves. Thus the Slave-owning system came into existence. Initially, division of labour was based upon natural traits, i.e division of labour between man and woman.The tasks of men were gathering food and taking part in warfare,women were required to do home-making, prepare food and weave clothes. Division of property ownership arose from this broad division. Men came to own animal wealth, agricultural products, household articles and utensils were owned by women. Collectively produced and used articles –habitations, gardens and boats-were owned collectively.Gradually the clans engaged in agriculture and animal rearing became separated from other clans. Social division of labour thus came about in a big way. Once animal resources and agricultural products became surplus, exchange of surplus products or barter between different clans began. Through such social division of labour and barter the dominance of men began both within and outside households; concomitantly dominance of women as well as matriarchal society began to wane and patriarchal society emerged. Along with this society divided into two classes-slave owners and slaves, exploiters and exploited came into existence. State began to be formed.

The abolition of mother rights, establishment of paternal rights and transition from the custom of joint families into that of singular husband-wife families entrenched and perpetuated the hegemony of men. Ancient matrilineal clans began to disintegrate and unitary families consolidated themselves into a force, endangering clan life. The annulment of mother rights and subjecting women to the servitude of men by tying them up to household duties was a historic defeat for women, the impact of which can still be felt. Patriarchal societies first appeared in the fertile banks of Egypt’s Nile, Iraq’s Tigris and Euphrates, China’s Hwang Ho and Yangtzekiang and India’s Indus and Ganga. This society has been termed as the first organized civilized society. In these regions small principalities were formed, the commanders of armies of religious guides and landlords were anointed as rulers or kings. In order to keep the subjects loyal and subservient to kings in perpetuity, the religious guides exploited the already entrenched idea among the people that the king of the mortal world is the representative of the omnipotent god of gods of the heavens. Therefore the king’s commands should be reverentially accepted as the commands of the all-powerful god. In certain countries the ruler of the supernatural world is propagated as Zeus, in others as Sun god. In some countries including India, the sun is publicized as the ruler of gods. In many countries including Sumer, India and Peru kings have been mentioned to belong to solar dynasties in ancient annals. In Egypt and the middle East the leaders of Jewish tribes, Abraham and Moses successively declared Jehovah as god in human form and claimed they were his representatives. Thus monotheism gained currency. After the establishment of Christianity and Islam, monotheism became prevalent almost all over the world.

The Iron Age or the so called civilized age appeared in the latter half of the age of Barbarism. During this age technological advancement continued unabated in parallel with economic crises and warfare. Philosophy and philosophical rationalism developed alongside. Philosophy emerged from the urge to not accept conventional notions uncritically and judge matters pertaining to nature, religion, state and state policies, discrimination between man and woman, slave owning system from an ethical point of view. Those who were involved in ethical analysis were philosophers. Those philosophers who tried to ascertain whether prevalent ideas were right or wrong without exploring their roots and who employedonly rational means are called rationalists and such endeavours are called rationalistic ones..On the other hand, science and scientific doctrines originated from the urge to investigate the sources of conventional ideas and to determine what’s correct and what is not in order to learn the laws of nature.

The spread of philosophical rationalism raised questions about the supernatural stories; evoked curiosity about the movements of planetary bodies and stars; their characteristics and trajectories began to be unravelled. Sensing danger,the spiritual guides set upon opposing philosophical rationalism and resorted to coercing the rationalists using state power. But the people, illumined by the beacon of knowledge continued to pursue rationalist philosophy.Consequently rationalism was strengthened. In order to thwart it Christian institutions (churches) infiltrated the educational arena; they began to establish schools, colleges, universities and revamp curricula, giving preeminence to supernaturalism and religion.

Commenting on this phenomenon, the historian Hugh Thomas wrote that the objective behind founding Universities was to drive rationalism to a corner. (An Unfinished History of the World).It’s noteworthy that, the rationalist philosophers never propagated any doctrine challenging supernaturalism and theology.But there remains a strong likelihood of the inception of loss of faith in religion and spiritual guides, in the event of revelation of truth; hence in accordance to the development of human consciousness and political changes, the spiritual guides and state heads adopted the policy of perpetuating faith in religion by reforming it.In order to perpetuate religion,adaptation of state and religion in sync with the evolution of society and politics is indispensable for the ruling classes. Hence it has been observed that, the rationalist philosophers, raised questions and pointed discrepancies on politics, the rights of the king, church rights and privileges. But they resolved these questions and discrepancies in their own ways as well. As a result,even though conflicts arose between the king-state and church and breakaway sects like Protestant and Lutheran wereformed defying the hegemony of the Christian religious head – the Pope, eventually religion has been kept alive through effecting adaptive changes of state and religion and establishment of religion’s dominance by according monarchical status to the Pope. Similar things happened with other religions as well.

It should be mentioned that, what lay behind the reformation of old religious doctrines and establishment of new ones was the inception of a new production system within the womb of the old one, the onset of faithlessness in the prevalent system among working people and the proliferation of philosophical doctrines based on rationality among the educated section, which, in turn, was opposed by the ruling classes. The emergence of the doctrine of Jesus Christ in the backdrop of the decline of slave owning system within the Roman Empire and the revolt of the masses is a case in point. Islam appeared in the scene as a fall out of the conflict between the idolatrous slave owning ruling classes and the emergent upholders of mercantile capital. As people belonging to that era had boundless faith in supernaturalism, therefore thechampions of the new production system engaged in conflict with the defenders of the old one either by creating new religious doctrines or reforming traditional ones. Finally, the upholders of the old system would arrive at a compromise with the proponents of the new system and stay in power or share power. For instance, on one hand the Roman ruling class crucified Jesus (circa 3rd April,29 CE), emperor Nero,belonging to this ruling class, slaughtered Christians cruelly and indiscriminately (64CE) and on the other emperor Constantine,from the same ruling class, legalized and legitimized Christianity(313CE) and became a preacher of this religion, having converted to Christianity (326cE). The ruling classes of the Arab world became apostles of this religion after converting to it. The Indian emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism, which provided doctrinal support to mercantile capital, in order to expand his empire; he expanded his empire along with his missionary campaigns.

In man’s material life, development of production and productive forces enhances his intelligence correspondingly; which, in turn, leaves it imprint on arts and science as it does on the economic and political spheres.(‘All sciences are historical, except Natural Science’ because it’s man who has conceived and discovered social science along with human society as well as all scientific discoveries).In material life the production system systematizes social, political and intellectual life processes. On the other hand the unity of opposites and mutual antagonistic contradictions create conflicts,which, in turn, generate social and political developments; arts and science also undergo development. Hence it’s evident in the history of mankind that in material life, along with unity of opposites and mutual antagonistic contradictions,intellectual life processes also developed. Consequently, the urge to learn the laws of nature was created, and this urge gave rise to Rationalism and Rationalist Philosophy on one hand and on the other pioneering individuals of society became involved in scientific discoveries.

Science is devoid of class bias, but whenever science posed a threat to the vested interests of the ruling classes ,whose rule was based on prevalent religious belief and exploitative economy, the ruling classes got down to opposing science. They didn’t even hesitate to imprison and execute the truth-revealing philosophers and scientists. Galileo, Socrates and Bruno are prime examples of this phenomenon. But, having failed to deny the shining truth of science, they have endeavoured to entrench their class rule by packaging science in religious wrappings and thus conserving people’s faith in religion. On the other hand, developments in technology, development in different branches and disciplines of science as well as new scientific discoveries to improve the means of production of material life have continued unabated. Secondly, with the transformation in production processes, the new production system has come into conflict with the old one, which has manifested itself in the conflicts between the standard bearers of the old system and the new. These conflicts enhance new systems, on which, new societies are founded. If we carefully examine the history of transformative phases of slave society to feudal society and its successive transformative phase into capitalist society, we realise this truth and the causes of societal development. We also realise that specific social systems are shaped by specific production systems. When metamorphosis of a particular society begins, the struggle to develop the new system immediately ensues. No production system is everlasting. Transformations of production systems have taken place to fulfil the materialneeds of the overwhelming majority of the human population. In this era, the transformation of the production system of the prevalent capitalist system has marked the beginning of the ascent to a new society.

The overwhelming majority of humanity (working people engaged in production) cannot enjoy the benefits of this progress over the ages.

In prehistoric times communally organized working people contributed to and collectively appropriated the fruits of technological development, domestication of wild animals, selection of different plants for cultivation, conservation of seeds etc. But the scenario changed once this system disintegrated and society split into working masses and their parasites, into exploited and exploiting classes, and with the emergence of slavery. The parasitical slave owners appropriated the products of the labour of the working people. They made the working people work in exchange for just about enough food to stay alive. This tradition continued during the prevalence of feudalism (Serf System) and continues in the Capitalist System (wage slavery).This creates the coexistence of prosperity and destitution in society.

Due to immense progress in scientific discoveries and technological innovation during Capitalism, the extent of affluence among the owners of capital and impoverishment among the wage-slave working people have increased manifold.

Today, we witness on one hand, contention between capitalists for augmentation of their capital, rivalry for becoming top-level capitalists, and wailing among the working people for food, clothing, habitations, medical care and earnings.

In today’s world, the rate of food production has increased considerably, but food keeps rotting in warehouses on account of lack of demand in the market. According to a UNO report about 20 billion tonnes of food grains rots in the warehouses every year. Yet according to capitalist stalwarts, 40% of the global population are suffering from malnutrition on account of food scarcity. The industrial commodity scenario is the same. Such a state of affairs in capitalist economy is called the crisis of over production.Hence, efforts are being made to tide over the crisis by reducing production. But reducing production leads to retrenchment of the work force engaged in production, impoverishment of the working people, and rise in unemployment.

State of the art technology and medicines are being used in the arena of medical science, consequent to phenomenal development in this field. But these remain beyond the reach of low income group individuals and the majority of the working masses.

There has been considerable progress in educational sphere,but the overwhelming majorityof the children belonging to families of toilers are being deprived of access to education after learning how to read and write.

The same scenario prevails when it comes to housing, high rise buildings are being erected using advanced technology on one hand, on the other, and the majority of the working population and a section of the middle class are denied of proper housing. Inevery country a spurt in the number of people living in pavements is being witnessed.

The upholders of capitalism hold the crisis of over production responsible for all the crises and in the same breath put the blame for it on over population. But none of these attributions is correct; for the phenomenon of over production manifests itself when production exceeds the needs of the population. In point of fact, at present, production is not in excess of the needs of the population. In the parlance of capitalism, production in excess of the purchasing capacity of the masses and in excess of the needs of the wealthy is characterized as the crisis of over production. Demands are created in the market according to purchasing capacity; one’s demand is determined by one’s purchasing capacity or power. Purchasing power in capitalism is based on one’s earnings; the demands for various commodities are dictated by positions occupied in the material world.

The wages received by the huge numbers of working people engaged in industry and agriculture is less than what’s required for subsistence. Hence, due to lack of purchasing power, it’s impossible for them to buy necessary industrial and agricultural commodities. For them the very source of having demands for anything more thanthick rice, coarse clothes, barely passable education, medical care and housing is simply not there.

This is the general global scenario.The situation obtaining in an industrially backward country like India is even more brutal. The proponents of capitalism maintain, ‘population rise engenders the crisis’, but this assertion is incorrect. The origin of this absurd idea is the theory proposed by Malthus that production increases in arithmetic proportion, while population rises in geometric proportion. This gives rise to the crisis. When he brought forth this theory, production was still higher than demand determined by purchasing capacity. Human population has increased manifold compared to that period, yet production surpasses the demand generated by it. Due to the use of modern technology, developed seeds, fertilizers and developed irrigation methods, production rises geometrically while population rises in arithmetic proportion; so much so that due to birth control measures adopted by some countries the rate of population increase has dropped to zero. It has been mentioned earlier that food grains are decomposing both in warehouses and in the open air (due to lack of warehouses).

Secondly, the huge store of food and other resources discovered under the oceans is waiting to be utilized .Even if the population increases much further; there won’t be any scarcity of food. On addition the planets of the Cosmos are becoming accessible to Mankind.

Therefore, the crisis within the Capitalist system is artificial in nature. i.e. a function of the system of wage slavery of the Capitalist class.

Having witnessed the juxtaposition of prosperity and abject poverty and pennilessness in capitalist society, great and wise individuals like Saint Simon felt the need to establish a communistic social system based on justice. But societies are formed according to the social systems; not on the basis of justice or injustice. A production system is independent of human will, and this system undergoes changes according to the requirements of material production, once again, independently of will. Hence, at that time, a communistic system based on justice, as desired by wise men like Saint Simon, remained confined to desire (imagination).On the other hand, the momentthe transformation of capitalist production system began, independently, stemming from production crisis.ie.production based on individual proprietorship on the basis of collective ownership of many owners(ownership of shares in joint-stock companies by share owners) began, the socialisation of production and labour began. Within this system, with production becoming the norm, the objective, material condition for production based on social ownership was created; taking note of this Karl Marx propounded the doctrine of scientific socialism.

The apologists of Capitalism couldn’t counter this doctrine. But as the socialisation of the means of production paves the way to the abolition of the capitalist class, they continued individual distribution of the fruits of production (of social income).Consequently, on one hand the contradiction between social production and individual distribution intensified social contradictions; on the other the crisis of over-production kept reappearing as the general crisis of capitalism. This has been manifested in the bloody conflicts among global organizations of the capitalists over markets, for securing hegemony over the production sectors, and in the struggles of the working class and the larger oppressed masses against the capitalist class. The triumph of the working masses in this war will bring the means of production within the grasp of society, and establish socialist society based upon socialist production system. Social science teaches us this lesson.

Emerging from the prehistoric primitive communistic society, society based on slavery, gradually transitioned into a society based on capitalism. These transitions and the laws of social development have contributed to the development of this social science.

Following and practising science, while avoiding and ignoring this particular branch, is meaningless. This is so because man devised the instruments of production out of the necessity to produce in material life and has made scientific inventions and discoveries, prompted by the need to develop the concerned instruments and means. He created logic (philosophy), physics, biology, physiology in order to improve his material life; developed logic in order to liberate material world from the delusion of supernaturalism. Therefore social science lies at the root of all other sciences.Secondly,if the various branches of science engage themselves in the service of a small section of society, instead of serving the broader humanity, then science ceases to have any significance for the overwhelming majority. Hence the majority remain ignorant about science; they do not develop a scientific frame of mind. Therefore, it’s often seen that the scientific inventions, discoveries and innovations that the masses either are incapable of using or which have no usefulness for them do not evince any interest among them. Capitalism regards scientific discoveries, inventions and innovations as profitearning commodities and employs them to secure maximum profit. This is the reason why the larger majority of mankind, which not only includes the low-earning working masses, but also the common people belonging to other professions, cannot access these commodities. So they show little interest about these.It’s particularly evident in the spheres of health care and education.

Therefore, in order to deploy science in the service of mankind, people with a scientific bent of mind should treat the present transitional phase of the human race (towards socialism) as a manifestation of the development of historical laws of the earlier phases, uphold it as the causal factor behind the development of the different branches of science and champion the truth that it’s possible to deploy science in the service of all sections of mankind only in a socialist society. Scientists, likeEinstein and JBS Haldane, true to their name, have performed this task. The relevant question is, despite extensive publicizing of scientific discoveries and inventions, despite a large number of people having direct and indirect experiences of discoveries and inventions that are related to their lives (in agricultural and industrial fields, in the medical field for instance), despite the illusory nature of the so called unworldly events being exposed, despite having observed duping techniques (exposed repeatedly and consistently in full public view by campaigners with a scientific bent of mind),why do supernaturalism and various superstitions still hold sway in peoples’ minds?The answer lies, firstly in familial and conventional social indoctrinations, in religious ritualistic practices and institutional education; secondly in institutionally educated people (which includes research scholars, doctors and novelists who have received education in science) reposing their faith in, and propagating supernaturalism and supernatural phenomena; thirdly, in patronization of religion and religious institutions by state leaders, captains and political parties; fourthly, glorification of religion by different media like radio, TV, jatra and drama; fifthly uncertainty and despair in material life.

Borne out of uncertainty and helplessness among them, the tendency to wear amulets,the 9 gemstones(Navaratna) along with related plant roots and stems among the middle class and even the upper class has increased markedly compared to earlier times.

A noteworthy historical feature is: Supernaturalism and theology being bred by ignorance,the pioneers of the Human race ventured forth to uncover the truth; resultantly they succeeded in unravelling the laws of nature, the laws pertaining to the origin and development of life and living organisms, the laws governing all matter and the primary cause behind the creation of the universe.Despite theological beliefs and superstitions stemming from it, man, in order to survive,has been induced not to remain dependent on nature but to engage in production by taming nature and has ushered in epoch making processes by continually bringing about changes in the production process.

What lies at the root of the development of the class society that came into being after the emergence of Human kind is class struggle-the struggle to develop the new production system that comes into being within the old decadent production system; the struggle waged between the class who is in favour of ensuring the unimpeded onward flow of progress and the class who is in favour of impeding its passage by perpetuating the old decadent stream. So far the classes favouring continuance of the unimpeded flow of progress have been victorious.

In point of fact, human innovative ability has stemmed from engaging in the struggle for production, by taming nature, one of the examples of which is technology; the long and short of it, however, is that science reflects truth.

It’s also a fact that, in circumstances when, the struggles of tormented people against discrimination, oppression; crises etc. aredirected in coordination with the historical knowledge of human progress, supernaturalism and superstitions dissipate from the minds of the struggling masses. This is so as, there is no place for despondency in such struggles; these struggles, illumined by the hope-beacon of accomplishing one’s mission by dint of one’s inherent strength, march along crushing into dust all obstacles with the help of science and technology. The struggling masses thus develop a scientific bent of mind. In this era, the goal of all oppressed masses and all progressive people belonging to all classes and strata is: engaging in the fight to eradicate the system which is the repository of prevalent discrimination, exploitationtorment etc.; waging the struggle to develop the new production system that germinated and is ascendant within the prevailing system. Such struggles create a social system where the fruits of production could be handed back to society. In such a system unemployment becomes a thing of the past; discrimination and exploitation cease to exist. It ceases the resources of sciencefrom the clutches of the minority along with other resources and turns them into social resources. In such a system, sowing and nurturing scientific knowledge in the minds of the new generation becomes the objective of education so that they could attain complete victory over nature by perpetuating social development, thereby making it possible for mankind to achieve true freedom.

Thus, the programme and tasks of an organization geared to the propagation of science is derived from the lessons we have learned from history studied insofar.