Technological Advance: A Bane to Society?
In the last one hundred years or more, technology has been advancing at a breakneck pace. No longer does a person have to walk to the corner store in order to place a phone call; they can now place the call from most anywhere in the world with the cellular phone carried on their belt or in their pocket It is no longer necessary for a person to bear traffic and long lines at shopping malls since technology now allows a person to shop from the convenience of their easy chair. These are but two examples of the cunning ingenuity of mankind that have allowed this race to progress into the twenty-first century, despite some people's beliefs that these and other technological advances are working to turn the human race into lazy introverts who have lost contact with each other and the land in which they live. The television is one device that never ceases to amaze. From the comfort of one's couch, a person can be entertained, educated, and informed. It allows people without the necessary means to travel to places they've only dreamt of. A
Frude describes the process of altering and tweaking computers until they can converse and interact with humans as though the computer itself were a human, and then goes on to explain:(the computer) could read aloud from the newspaper, answer the telephone, keep track of food supplies, and act in a more modest capacity as a friendly alarm clock or a ferocious guard-dog. viewer can fly in a helicopter over Ireland or ride on a rocket ship to the outer reaches of our solar system. Virtual reality has progressed from simple simulations to medical procedures, in which a surgeon does not even have to step foot into the operating room. This can be an incredibly powerful experience in the eyes of a child who may have no other way to view such sights. Unfortunately, not all people see virtual reality, and the benefits it brings, as a good thing. It is certain that all technological advances have been met with controversy that in time has faded, but without these advances, mankind would still be living in caves, foraging for food, and dressing in animal-skins. Virtual reality is another development under fire. On this subject, Rifkin replies "The notion of an intimate mechanized companion that, while not completely predictable, is at least somewhat controllable and, of course, replaceable - to wit, an artificial surrogate to living creatures - reinforces the vision Descartes, Bacon, and other early enlightenment thinkers" (289). Jeremy Rifkin, author of "The Age of Simulation", thinks that television and other forms of electronic media are bad, stating, "Television is the ultimate technological surrogate for real life"(286). The substitution of artificial experiences for natural ones masks an almost pathological fear of the living world"(291). It would also be able to play chess, tell jokes, or give short lectures on aspects of world history (271). In "The Intimate Machine," Neil Frude shows how computers can be made more 'user-friendly', and how they can be entered into a social circle with humans. Virtual reality allows a person to 'plug-in' to a fictitious or distant environment, and experience it as though they were really there. With all of the advantages offered by pursuing this technology, it is very doubtful that scientists will stop because of opinions such as these. With, and only with, technological growth mankind may finally evolve as a species.
Common topics in this essay:
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Neil Frude,
Warren Robinett,
Descartes Bacon,
Age Simulation,
virtual reality,
Jeremy Rifkin,
allows person,
technological advances,
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