ABSTRACT
In the past three decades the occupants of the industrialized parts of the world have become increasingly convinced of the importance of science and technology in social change. Although in the 1950s they knew they had never had it so good in terms of material wealth, welfare benefits and employment opportunities, it was also true that they had never before reaped the benefits of science and technology in the same way. Science has come to have the status of exemplary knowledge. Religious truth has the appeal of offering direct and certain knowledge, and the conflict between religious belief and the claims of science continues for many individuals in industrialized societies today. A sociological examination of the social role played by science and technology will need to study their contribution to social change in the underdeveloped world.
