Technology (Good or Bad)

No, we can't be trusted with technology. Let's close this forum and all go home to our caves.

I dont mind sarcastic answers but they should be productive. I dont know why you insinuate that the forum should be closed. If this is your answer then its quite cumbersome.

Kindly be productive.

Regards,

why do you make it general as "we"?

WE Cr4 members should learn to neglect the Guest's comments. These are the ones who have no courage to speak openly.

'Guest' basically makes a good point, one of the biggest drivers of technical innovation has always been defence/hunting/warfare.
It's odd that you should think the use of technology for these things is new.
And surley the tag 'good' or 'bad' rather depends on your perspective, history generally being written by the victors.
Del
_{(BTW, you need to get used to 'guests' who havn't the bottle to put their name to their comments, and often like stirring up trouble)}

Like anything it's is only as good or bad as the people that wield it. If those of the minority intend to use it to their own means to do bad things. Do we then prevent those that would use it for good from having it. By restricting it from all.

In progress forward in to the future. Mankind as is his nature will look for means and solutions to problems he has to over come. Those solution in others hands may be used for ill got gains. The problem is not the technology. It is the individual that takes what he did not work to earn.

If we force the restriction of use of new technology. What then of it's creation? We then become cattle in the fields. Going through life on a day to day bases with no out look to resolve the burdens of life.

Well Put...Thank you

OZZB brings up a pertinent point in that the use of and the results of technology are only as good as the intent of the people using the technology. Technology isn't only the result of people trying to find a better way to hunt, defend or for warfare. Those uses of technology are minimal in scope to all R@D done, and even then many technological advances that have come about because of our defense research ends up helping mankind. A greater amount of technology utilized outside of those three areas end up benefitting a great deal of mankind by increasing our ability to learn, communicate, be mobile, to stay healthy, and to improve the quality of life, etc.

The internet is a good example of 2 widely varied uses of a technological breakthrough; it can be utilized for the development of new information, gathering of profitable and useful information or you can use it to disseminate or gather all sorts of "garbage" that has no benefit to anyone. It simply depends on how the individual uses it.

In other words, technology is not good or bad on it's own. How it is used and applied is the critical part.

Congratulations on your first encounter with the human race. Please do not tap on their enclosure.

As Mr. Kubrick & Mr. Clarke pointed out in 2001: A Space Odyssey, it's arguable whether the earliest tools mankind wielded were used first for sustenance or to kill one another. Of course the two are not always (and perhaps are rarely) exclusive, even now.

Every invention, every concept, every indivisible mote of information holds within the promise of both constructive and destructive use. On even the most cursory inspection of this world, it is obvious that the intentional constructive use is many, many orders of magnitude more frequent than the destructive.

It is my best wish my friend that you keep this thought firmly in mind and look again around you. I hope that you will be pleased at what you can then see.

A baseball bat in the hands of an athlete, can be used to hit a home run and make the crowd cheer. In the hands of a thug on the streets it can ruin the life of the victim and his family.

KRL

Technology itself is not Good or bad. The application may be good or bad.

Even some applications though basically good, because of over use, effectively they are bad. Examples:

Oil drilling has no doubt done good for human race. But over mining has created many many problems.

Invention of paper was good, which advanced human race to great heights. But over cutting of jungles and woods for making the papers has done equally bad for human race.

Thus behind every application of technology, there should be some conscience.

"He who dies with the most toy's wins!"...

In my estimation this popular phrase which seems rather innocuous...

Is one of the most damaging, yet still represents the most popular mindsets

People become addicted to acquisition and lord it over while they hoard it over.

After one acquires a bunch of worthless possession's. One needs to build a great defense system to protect it.

Technology is our friend when we are enjoying it.. Even if it's just bricks for our walls and a roof over our head.. That is technology we are enjoying.

When Technology starts to replace our jobs under the guise of efficiency? That's where the line gets blurred.

As a simple example.. I like cake.. Who doesn't?

most cakes are made by machine. I won't eat those cakes. I'd rather get something a little more local or make it myself if I need some cake or a doughnut so bad.

Why?

1. I don't need that much cake to stay alive ...I tried an all cake diet before and it was a disaster.

2. no bakers are harmed in the creation of cake

3. A machine that can make 30,000 cakes an hour will always be filled with sub par ingredients to guarantee "freshness"

...I could go on and on, but that would just lead to..

How many houses and buildings are now standing? a billion?

How many cars and trucks (vehicles) have been made? a billion?

How much clothing has been made?

How much food has been produced?

How much water has been purified?

How much Art and Music has been created?

How many ships and submarines have been created?

How much furniture, roadways, bridges, power and phone grids, household electronics, home appliances, toilets, books, hospitals, schools, etc..?

Violent technology is a VERY SMALL PART of what humans create, but it gets the most attention.

just look around. observe. turn off the CNN and Fox news.

Chris

Hi DGEE,

Please define productive. If the US soldiers burn the drug fields in Afghanistan, is that destructive or productive (or both)? Do you think the US soldiers are doing any good? Why do you think they are there? (I don't have a clue)

Isn't peace the reason technology was made[?]

Most likely for war.

can we (people in General) be trusted with technology...?

Some people can be trusted and some can't.

-S

As already stated, technology is neither good nor bad. Technology can be considered as tools. It is the individuals and societies that are good/bad (keeping in mind one person's good can be another person's bad). Mankind was killing each other with sticks and stones and their bare hands long before nukes and fire were developed/discovered.

You pose a decent philosophical question, but really it's doesn't matter whether we can be trusted with technology or not. Societies are going to advance and decline over time...they are going to develop technologies they need and many they don't need. There will be positive and negative consequences. Hopefully, in the long run the positives out weigh the negatives.

Insecurity and domination are key drivers of negative uses of technologies.

Technologies always have a broad minded utility and service