What Does it Mean to Be Human in a Technological Age - Essay Example

?Roshan Singh Petit HUMA01 – ial #0006 15 September Technology: A Friend or Foe of Humanity Technological advancements have tremendously transformed the way of living. It influences all aspects of human life and in current times, makes it difficult to imagine our existence without the scientific inventions and discoveries which have made our life comfortable. The precepts and concepts of knowledge areas have got significant boost through the advancement made in science and technology. Indeed, they have become highly important tools that have widened the scope of utilization of the existing resources. They have become vital to understand the mysteries of nature also but they have also introduced new factors and issues which are detrimental to the survival of future generations. It would not be wrong to suggest that the impact of technology on human society has to a great extent, tried to subvert the values and contextual reality of being an empowered human being. As McKibben says, with science and new technology, we have traded in old contexts that informed human lives, bargaining them in return for freedom, for liberation (15). One of the greatest philosopher and economist of the ninetieth century, Karl Marx stated that, “The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.” This famous quote was based on one of his economic discussions where he argued that the pursuit of convenience through technology would only result in a high volume of useless people. In other words, the advancement of technology would result in higher rates of unemployment. Marx argued that the use technology would affect in the loss of traditional values, and consequently create a non-humanistic economic society, which many refer to as capitalism. According to Bill McKibben, an American environmentalist, technology and science have negatively affected other areas of human civilization such as the loss of traditional jobs such as farmers to more technologically oriented jobs which have led to the growth of capitalism, and the proper treatment of every part of the environment to devastation of the environment for the sake of natural resources, and advancement of modern human societies (15). McKibben’s concern is primarily intended as warning for scientists and rationalists as not to become God. The far reaching repercussions of genetic engineering when applied to human beings can be dangerous in its content and detrimental for the safe existence of our future generation. The importance of science and technology in our lives cannot be denied. But the time has come to reflect seriously as to what has been gained at what cost? It is easy to contribute the develop of society on the advancements made in the area of science and technology. But one forgets that it has also impacted adversely on the environment and has also been responsible for increasing unemployment across the globe. People have lost jobs to the machines which are invented to work longer hours and with more precision, thus making workers redundant. In short, technology has also brewed more discontent in the society where previously order reigned and legacy of work was carried forward by the next generations! Genetic engineering has been seen as panacea for creating perfect human being by the scientist fraternity. By altering human genes, babies can be created as per the requirements of the parents. Beautiful babies with perfect features and high IQ that can be eternal source of pride for the parents has now become a gross reality. The experiments on animals have made scientists confident of replicating desired genes in the embryo to create designer babies. McKibben fears that this could threaten the very rules of existence of human race that thrives on learning through experience and by using its intelligence to make empowered decisions. The new creed of human beings could well be programmed creatures who could also start questioning their intelligence because of the programmed intelligence! The unlimited possibilities of creating monsters could very well be lurking behind the applications of genetic engineering. The awesome reality of genetic engineering needs to be tempered with a rational approach that can weigh the pros and con of the situation. McKibben believes that these so-called technological advancements have made us slowly give up the notion of what it means to be human. He justifies this ideology by referring to the issue of human genetic engineering, where a couple can customize the genetic traits of their child according to their liking. This issue is quite controversial as the autonomy and actual existence of the child is entirely pre-determined by their parents, and it robs the child of being human. On the other hand, while many argue that technology is harmful to humanity, individuals such as Sarah Green, an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patient, would argue otherwise as technology has assisted her to prolong her life and given her a new identity. Both individuals provide a conflicting view of how technology affects humanity; however I believe that technology is merely an instrument or tool created by human beings, whose affects are based on the actions, and thoughts of human beings. The benefits of technology do indeed often blind us to its drawbacks. Technology had given a new lease of life to Sarah Green, an accomplished flautist who was able to regain control of her life after being affected by ALS. She had lost her voice but through technological marvels like voice synthesizer, she was able to converse with her family and friends. The vaccines, anti- dotes and discoveries in the medical field have significantly improved the standards of living and help prolong life. The role of scientific inventions in the socio-economic development has been tremendous but it has come at a great cost to the humanity. People have not only lost the zest for enjoying the joys of nature but their world has shrunk to the confines of technology driven environment. Their happiness has been limited to the extent of the luxury that technology can provide them with! There is another very interesting aspect of genetic engineering. Ronald Finke (1989), an eminent scientist had said that mind is capable of retrieving images from recess even if no conscious effort is made to commit them to memory. It means that even during the process of intentional recall of an image in some defined format, the mind can conjure up and explore various other properties of the same image! If this concept is applied to the designer babies who are genetically created with defined characteristics, what is the guarantee that they would behave in the same manner as envisaged by the genetic engineers? If what Finke says is correct, then mind can retrieve images and thoughts that may be contrary to what they been designed for? The concern for the misuse of genetically engineered human being is genuine and must force us to address the wider impacts that it can have on the human consciousness. It is important to nourish the inherent tendencies of children into healthy and happy adults who are able to lead an empowered life. (words: 1145 [820 ->my paper]) References Finke, R. A. Principles of mental imagery. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989. McKibben, Bill. The Posthuman Condition. In Staying Human in an Engineered Age. Henry Holt & Company. Harpers Magazine, April 2003. Read More