Friday, July 15, 2011

Technology: Purveyor of Life or Victualler of Death?


All of the biggest technological inventions created by man - the airplane, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness. – Mark Kennedy

Humans have the natural tendency to be in control of their surroundings including other humans, animals and the environment. Moreover, as obvious from the quotation above, humans are always in search of simpler ways of doing things. From the early humans who controlled fire to the latest DNA technologies, everything has its origin in one of these fundamental axioms.


As humans are both good and bad, so are the things created by them. There is nothing noble or evil inherent in technology but it is the user of it which makes it so. For example, weapons were invented by the primitive humans to hunt the game as well as defend themselves against the wild animals. But through time, humans started using weapons against their fellow beings for more sinister purposes. And millennia later, the same is true for the modern human who is striving to manufacture the deadliest weapons which may well become responsible for the extinction of our species.

When we talk about technology the question of good and bad is not always black and white and there is so much grey area. Our socio-religio-political position and bias play a very determining role in our answer to this question. A technology may be an advantage to one person or a nation but it may prove to be a disaster for another person or nation. A case in point is the unmanned surveillance aircrafts also called drones. It gives a decisive edge to one nation by giving it the ability to hit certain targets while sitting in their offices thousands of miles away. But at the same time this technology is a nuisance for the affected nation which is badly affected by the use of this technology.

Problems abound, there are certain areas where technology is almost exclusively beneficial for the mankind in general. Examples are: electricity, modern means of communication and transport, medicines and food technology. The progress made in these areas during the last 100 years alone is mind blowing. With the advent of computers, the life on this planet has changed forever.

Airplanes, bullet trains and buses are some of the means available to modern world. It took Columbus 70 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean but now it takes just 6 hours by airplanes. Time saving is only one aspect. We should also take into account the immense savings in term of money and human health. One no longer needs to worry about the hostile weather or deteriorating health or worse the pirates, which were once impediments to the travel of even a few hundred miles.

The invention of computers and mobile phones has added another dimension to telecommunication. Gone are the days when messenger on a horseback would travel for weeks to deliver a message. With modern technology, messages can be delivered in seconds with a high degree of security and reliability. We can access any type of information with a few clicks from the comfort of our homes. Be it a business meeting or a family gathering, video conferencing is there to decrease the distance, making the world a global village in a true sense. 

Diseases like malaria and smallpox which were once considered lethal are now treated within days with the help of modern vaccines and medicines. Diagnosis and cure is much more improved. Life expectancy is now higher than ever before. We are better equipped to understand human physiology and anatomy which in turn enable us to accurately predict the onset of a particular disease and helps in preventing an epidemic. 

With the green revolution, man has achieved high yields per acre and developed new methods to make the barren lands arable. The explosive increase of human population has resulted in greater demands for food and other amenities of life. Food is transported from one part of the world to another within short time to cope with the increasing demands.

But all is not well. If we have green revolution then why are people starved to death in Africa and some other third world countries? If we have access to the best healthcare system in the history of mankind then why are people dying because of malaria and hay-fever while 2 billion people are exposed to hepatitis? If technology helps in achieving economic prosperity then why is the unemployment rate greater than ever before? Unless and until humans learn how to use technology for the betterment of humans, perhaps we may never find an objective answer to our question of whether technology is beneficial or harmful.

36 comments:

  1. wow that was one good post about something so serious that I read after so many days...

    I agree with every word of it !

    Well said:-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. @mishi...thanks that you like this post :) stay blessed :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Although technology and invention have many advantages and disadvantages, the main reason things are invented is to make a task easier to perform. Technology makes tasks easier, quicker, more efficient, and better. On the other hand, technology can make people lazier, products are made more cheaply (which can be good for companies but bad for consumers), and technology can have adverse effects on a person's health and safety.

    Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_technology_and_invention#ixzz1SAwTioB2

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow another master piece.. Absolutely well said that it’s the technology which makes our lives more comfortable and charming but on the other hand, technology can ruin the whole mankind, e.g. nuclear capabilities, through which we can avoid WAPDA and can rupture bad eyes towards our national sovereignty. Israr buddy, we all admire your writing skills, continue with it, we are still your followers 

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good discussion, Things are not good or bad in their nature, it is their user who make them benificial or harmful for others. Technology should not be used against humanity. It should be a blessing not a disaster.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @asma khan...yes thats exactly it :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. @atif... thanks buddy for your appraisal... nobody can avoid WAPDA :P

    ReplyDelete
  8. @kiran... yes it should be used for benefit of humans but... :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. I appreciate your article Dear Mysterio! not only this, we also need to touch some other topics with some other writers not just you.....GOD bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. @ibrahim...thanks dear..sure you can propose any topic or write yourself for this blog :) the other writers are busy with exams so for the time being you people have to bear with me :) and the next post will be of your interest so please return here on 25 Jul :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. bravo ! israr again a brilliant job by you...:)
    yup i think the answer lied in the last para which is magnificent in itself giving a clear picture explaining the above scene i think it is superb..!
    for those who are waiting for other authors will find something new and hopefully interesting very sure on 25 july so dont miss it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. @maria...thanks... yes sure it is that i am boring the readers for so many weeks ...so lets hope you people bring something new for them :P looking forward to ...

    ReplyDelete
  13. You ae made some very good points.

    ReplyDelete
  14. hmmm really a nice blog to read,,,,,,,,,Misterio this time u have discussed something very common but the queries at the end r enough to scroll minds..... You know one quotation which I read somewhere last year, always comes to my mind while coming across such questions,,,,,, it says,,,,,
    “Selfishness is the only real atheism; aspiration, unselfishness, the only real religion.”...... this simple but full of in-depth philosophy quotation gives me all answers,,,, forget about global issues just observe ur locality,,, how we prevail hatters, why we ignore others, why we fight, why we loose relations, why we do illegals and avoid legals,,,,????? and many more,,,,,, just one answer..... we use to be selfish in that particular time span,,,,we wish to grab everything for ourselves,,,,nothing more,,, I am sorry for discussing something a bit irrelevant but actually ur questions made me emotional to share something which I personally think root cause of all miseries we r facing,,,,, and thats why I never inspire from somebody whos selfish, no matter how much hes full of beans......! dear, well done once again for this nice blog, I wish you all the best for ur new and exciting upcoming pieces,,,!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Greed, mostly. I think many people, particularly those in power, are disinclined to direct resources (including technology) toward those in need if there is not personal gain. It's sad.

    ReplyDelete
  16. @adian... you are cent percent right about the root causes and this quotation sums it up... the same holds true for this technology divide... like everything else in the world, there is an uneven distribution of technology as well and that is the cause of all evils in the world.... thanks for your comments man and these are very much relevant to the topic... :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. @secretagent... yes you are right the root cause is that power-that-be are not interested in a fair distribution of resources... as someone has aptly said that people die of hunger not because there is not enough food available in the world but because of unfair distribution..

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hello.
    The earth is big enough for us all to exist quite comfortably. Unfortunately, due to human imperfection and greed, one man or one nation always wants to covet what does not belong to him. Everything in today's times is about making money and keeping that money in one's pocket. Until we can all learn to live like brothers and sisters, there will always be a great divide.

    An interesting write from you.

    ReplyDelete
  19. @andy... you phrased it perfectly :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well thought out and argued. I think sometimes greed gets in the way of the good technology could do.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Superb

    Every thing has positive and negative aspects....but it totally depends on the user either user use it for constructive purposes or destructive purposes.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Technology is both a blessing and a curse - I totally agree.

    I believe the irony is that it hasn't made us lazy or freed up any time, but now we are expected and work longer and longer hours at our jobs.

    But, of course, then we come home and perhaps sit in front of our computers too long or flip through our DVRd programs or sit and text others and update our social media status.

    I could go on and on. Bah!

    ReplyDelete
  23. @deborah... agreed..technology was meant to make tasks easier but we are busier than ever before :( computers, mobiles, ipads and now we have internet in refrigerators!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I like that quote from Mark. Maybe we should change the famous saying to "Laziness is the mother of invention."

    ReplyDelete
  25. @sarah... hahaha..i wonder why didnt i think about it?

    ReplyDelete
  26. First, thank you for visiting my blog and for the follow and kind words!

    Well stated words on your part, I tend to agree.
    And the quote is a great one!

    Take care.


    Margie :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well, you can't get more thought-provoking or controversial than this - exactly what a post should be, in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  28. hey Israr:-)

    Thankyou for the wishes and go check it again...as it were 15 people to maintain...I kindda missed your name and changed it with somebody else...not my mistake,.em following so many blogs!:)
    khair go n get your awards...n congrats!

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...