Knowledge is something that quite obviously can be utilized for the good of mankind, but also, regrettably, for bad purposes, as well. Even the most cursory of looks around our world, today, indicates that on so many levels, knowledge is used far too often to oppress mankind, to hurt mankind, and to destroy mankind, typically for the expressed selfish benefit of a particular person or organization. Still, there are plenty of people and organizations that use their knowledge for the betterment of mankind and to do what they can do to see that this world is a better place for their efforts, and further they prove their good stewardship of the resources that mankind has developed, and continue to develop, day-by-day.
Yet, we live within a construct in which the world has grown appreciably smaller, so that small-minded bigots of immense power, now have the capability with their devoted minions of destroying not just their own sovereign land, but are also well able in their capacity to destroy the world --through, for instance, a nuclear nightmare, or through other means, that accomplishes this same sort of principle of destruction, over some given period of time.
This thus signifies that mankind, has the means within its grasp, to destroy this planet, of which, perhaps from some sort of perverse perspective this is seen as progress for having obtained this awesome destructive power into mankind's hands, thereby aggrandizing unto mankind the power of complete death and annihilation of this world. Rather, though, the destroying of anything of merit, no matter the sophistication of that knowledge needed to do so, is something that should be perceived as being witless if so done, and a gross injustice to all those that live upon this earth, if so suffered.
Again, it is not to mankind's credit to destroy that which mankind did not even create in the first place; but if through mankind's free will and desire, it wishes to do so, and none are able to preclude such, it will be done. On the other hand, the measure of any civilization is whether or not that civilization has made the world, the conditions of that world, and the life of those people that make up that world, a better place, than it was before that civilization was so created. That is, in a nutshell, the very reason for our being, so that we, as one united mankind, are able to thereby create institutions and relationships that are based upon principles that are just, moral, fair, and right for the continuing benefit and necessary benefit of mankind, throughout this world and even beyond.
The powers that we have today, to create a better world or to destroy such, are in our hands, for the very purpose, of proving or disproving the worth of mankind as so exercised in this time and place. The choice of destruction would be the choice of a collective selfish misguided egotist, and thereby the choice of annihilation; whereas, the choice of creation, and of being of true benefit to mankind, is the worthy choice of all those who desire, above all, to be co-creators with that which created us in the first place.