Technology
In this paper I plan to defend the position that impact of technology on the society has far more positive sides than negative. One could not possibly imagine how a life would be without a TV set, automobile, birth control pill, etc. Technology is what makes these goods available for us to enjoy at our discretion. The term "at our discretion" is the main cause of negative effects of technology. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881 - 1955) was one of the first to note that our society is rapidly changing in profound ways. Information age that he sensed came true, in which we live today. Intellectual development is changing the society into what he called "a global brain" instead of a global village as was predicted earlier. Teilhard named this phenomenon the "Noosphere: the sphere of human knowledge and wisdom expanding exponentially in volume and speed." The modern satellite communication networks, fiber optic cables, everyday-improving computer systems, and other technologies power this explosion of the information. It enables us to get in touch with the necessary sources faster, cheaper and in a more reliable ways. Information technology is the key to the major change of the face of our society. Homes used to be simply s
As Arthur Clarke said, the dinosaurs did not survive because they did not have an effective space program. As information technology improves, homes will ultimately become a place to work, get medical treatment, study, etc. The main problem with the question of where we will be in the 30th, 60th or 341st century is another question: Will earth exist as a planet and humans as species by then? Global pollution, ozone holes, global warming, depletion of natural resources are simply few of the questions raised on this matter. Future high power lasers that may be installed on the surrounding planets are one way of prevention of the issue. Advanced telecommunications systems now operate at speeds of up to 1 terabyte per second. Implanted microchips may become a necessity for the new day high speed thinking process. In India more than one million students are schooled via the INSAT satellite network. Satellites and Global Positioning Systems monitor daily the holes in the ozone and rain forests are being replenished. Once again the only problem is the human laziness and unwillingness to adapt. To face the downward effects of the technology one must recognize the environmental pollution, stress, drug addiction, loss of privacy, "deskilling" of many occupations, etc. The twentieth century has seen the rise of democratic political systems based on the free-market capitalistic ideals where maximum profits, and access to material goods and services are the top priority. On the other side, these programs are providing a faster, more efficient and more reliable solutions than a human mind could. The long-term survival adjustments are still to be made. First of all we need to solve our environmental problems and then eliminate the threat of and asteroid or a comet impact. For example many architects, accountants, and other professions that used to require extensive proficiency in the field, are threatened daily by the computer programs and expert systems.
Common topics in this essay:
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Pierre Teilhard,
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Homo Sapiens,
Arthur Clarke,
Positioning Systems,
fiber optic cables,
information technology,
machines replaced,
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standard living,
fiber optic,
optic cables,
humans species,
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