Measuring Progress as it Relates to Technological Advances
Take a look around the world we live in today. It is filled with millions of different technologically intricate devices. We have cell phones that allow us to talk to anyone anywhere. We can listen to music on the go with CD and MP3 players. We can learn, interact, communicate and work using personal computers. Cars, public transit and airplanes can efficiently transport us to our far off destinations. It seems every aspect of our daily lives is affected by some sort of technological/scientific device. Advertisements from the makers of the new technologies tell us that all of these new innovations are good and must be bought to ensure the best life possible. We must determine though if all of these technological innovations equal progress. And more importantly, we must comprehend our means of measuring this progress itself.
To understand our worldly view of progress, we must first look to the history of technology and its different ends throughout its evolution. Albert Teich, in his book Technology and the Future, explains that in the late eighteenth century, “the development of radically improved machinery” coincided with the new “idea of history as a record of progress” (4). He says that history advances by the increase of human knowledge and man’s control over the physical world. These powers gained by the new improved machinery were required to improve the moral, intellectual, social, material and political states of life as well. Teich best puts it, “They regarded the new sciences and technologies not as ends in themselves, but as instruments for carrying out a comprehensive transformation of society” (5). But as history adva...
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...ciety and country is progressing towards right now. We should consider adopting a new set of moral, social, political and environmental goals for our nation to shoot for into the future. Also, maybe we should reconsider our original intent to found this nation on the principles of the Bible. We still make coins and bills that have engraved and printed “In God We Trust” on each of them. We still chant “God bless America” in times of tragedy and support, in example for our troops that are fighting in Iraq right now. Maybe, we could reestablish our original biblically founded intent to the make new moral, social, political and environmental goals. It would be then, once we have these new goals in place that our nation would fully progress, prosper and bloom.
Works Cited
Teich, Albert H. Technology and the Future. Canada: Wadsworth Publishing Company. 2003
Between 1491 and 1754, the New England, middle, Chesapeake, and southern colonies developed in a way such that they must be viewed as four distinct societies with interlacing interactions and beliefs. These different societies were shaped by the different labor systems and economic characteristics, varying groups of religious founders, and response to salutary neglect and British taxation.
On his way to the New World, aboard the Arabella in 1630, John Winthrop, Puritan leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, spoke of the plan that he had in store for the colony. He preached that there would be equality in the new colony and that they " must be knit together in this work as one man." He spoke about the importance of community in the colony that was vital for the survival of the colony. His statements made on the Arabella are to the ideas in the Articles of Agreement, which compiled in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1636. In the Articles of Agreement, the community was to contain forty familiesrich and poor. In the Articles of Agreement, the concern for comfort and quality of life (for families) is outlined. They again put emphasis on the importance of unity in the colony and they also express that social classes do not determine what a person is. In Connecticut, the colonists set up regulations for wages and price; these rules were made to include poor settlers in trading and the economy by keeping the prices in the colony "fair." Since the colonists in the New England region was untied "as one" in each colony, this was one way that caused them to become a different society from the Che...
During the 1600’s the New England and Chesapeake regions were beginning to settle and colonize. While both came from English origin and had dreams of wealth and freedom, differences began to form just as they settled and by the 1700s the two regions will have evolved into two distinct societies. Because of the exposure to different circumstances both regions developed issues that were unique from one another and caused them to construct their societies differently. Therefore, the differences socially, politically and economically in the two regions caused the divergence.
In the 1600’s, America was the new world, and the land of opportunity, which spurred settlers to travel to the region seeking religious freedom or economic success. However, as the colonies of New England and Chesapeake were settled, they had contrasting viewpoints on how they should live, and manage their newly occupied settlements. These viewpoints correlated to specific problems arising in each area. For example, the New England colonies experienced the witchcraft scare, and the Chesapeake colonies experienced civil uprisings like Bacon’s rebellion. To better understand why these colonies experienced contrastingly different problems, a closer look is required of the two colonies social, economic, and religious viewpoints, which contributed
In the end of the 16th and beginning of 17th century the Americas were slowly becoming more and more settled. Some of these settlements helped shape American society to what we know today. Of these many settlements, the two groupings of the New England and Chesapeake colonies are arguably the most influential. To show the importance of both of these colonies but also their individuality they must be compared and contrasted. Although The New England and Chesapeake colonies do have their differences, they also share distinct similarities.
In the Western sensibility, the march of progress is normally deemed positive and inevitable. In recent Western history, from the Middle Ages forward, successive improvements in the spread of knowledge, dissemination of culture, and the av...
Despite being magical of gene therapy, it is high-risk. Few people got benefits from it, and it has a low rate of success. Prior to the human trial, Batshaw and Wilson had done experiment on animals to ensure the safety. Over 20 experiments have been done on mice but only 12 of them survived at last (Sophia, M. and Kolehmainen, J.D., 2000). More seriously, complicating diseases, which can be more dangerous than genetic diseases, might set in during the treatment period. In December 200...
In today's world, technology is constantly changing from a new paperclip to an improvement in hospital machinery. Technology lets people improve the way they live so that they can preserve their own personal energy and focus on the really important factors in life. Some people focus their energy on making new innovations to improve transportation and the health of people that may save lives and some people focus on making new designs of packaging CDS. Technology is significant in everyone's life because it rapidly changes what is in the market. But, some new innovations of technology are ridiculous because they serve no purpose in helping mankind.
Throughout the centuries, society has been given men ahead of their time. These men are seen in both actual history, and in fictional accounts of that history. Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, and even Freud laid the framework in their fields, with revolutionary ideas whose shockwaves are still felt today. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and so society has also possessed those how refuse to look forward, those who resisted the great thinkers in science and civilization. The advancement of science and technology is like the flick of a light switch; research may be slow and tedious, but once discoveries are made, they are not long hidden. In contrast, advancement in the ideas of ethics and human values come slowly, like the rising of the sun; there are hints at advancement for a long time before the next step is ready to be made. Because of this, science and technology takes off in leaps and bounds before human values have awakened to find society moving again.
“History may be a succession of absurdities, tragedies and crimes: but everyone insists – the future can still be better than anything in the past. To give up this hope would induce a state of despair.” (Gray 4) This quote, delivered by John Gray, a professor of Western Thought at the London School of Economics, describes the importance of faith in progress, and also reveals the vast agreement that humanity is on a path, and that path is progressing. However, as modern western culture struggles to obey the instinctual necessities of the human animal, and rather decide to place the focus on materials and money, the future of humanity as always progressing is seemly a dim prospect. The endeavor of illuminating whether human progress is a myth, a concentration must be placed on the most important categories. The most important categories to be discussed, with a focus on western culture are: where the idea of progress came from; scientific progress pertaining to technological advancements; and, the decline of acknowledging humans as an animal with instincts that cannot be logical or religiously controlled, curbed or cured.
Safdar, M. (2010) Gene Therapy: Advantages and Disadvantages [Online] Available at: http://www.biotecharticles.com/Genetics-Article/Gene-Therapy-Advantages-and-Disadvantages-271.html [Accessed July 17 2011]
It is undeniable that throughout times, humanity has been progressing in all fields, but what drove humankind to do so and what still drives us to invent things to improve our lives and ourselves remains a bit mysterious. What drives us to progress and towards what end is it aimed? The phenomenon seems to be unstoppable; a simple glance at History textbooks will tell you this. In addition, it seems to be a cycle of improvement followed by destructions: for example, the invention of the automobile destroyed the use of horses as a means of transportation. Therefore, it seems to me that humanity is condemned to progress and never to attain its goal.
One of the biggest concerns involved in gene therapy in humans is the lack of knowledge and the possibility for consequences later on or i...
Technology has changed our lives but, has it made our lives any better? Some believe technology makes people happier because, people always want to upgrade their electronics to new, more efficient pieces of equipment. People have been progressing for thousands of years, and we still are. Researchers are always looking to improve current technology and come up with modern, efficient devices to improve our lives. If society were to stop emerging with new inventions, I feel we would be very unhappy. I believe that the leading edge of technology is what makes us happy.
“… and yet a true creator is necessity, which is the mother of invention.” (Plato 390c). It’s this ‘need’ that fueled are inventions and innovations to reduce the difficulty of all those scenarios deemed impossible. Over the centuries, mankind has progressed by leaps and bound. Starting from being cavemen who hunted animals by sticks and stones to survive, mankind is now able to live luxurious life with well-built homes, stable food and water supply and efficient communication and travel methods. Just picturing the Stone Age and our current lives side by side will make us realize how technology has changed our society. It has changed how we produce our food, communicate with others and how we travel.