So far, the trend of technology advances since the IR is net-positive to humanity.commonsense wrote: ↑Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:55 pm First off, some definitions only for the purpose of discussion on this thread;
Technology—broadly defined as anything created after the Industrial Revolution.
On balance—overall or on the whole; all things considered.
Good—anything that has a beneficial effect on humans.
Bad—anything that has a deleterious effect on humans.
No replies concerning these definitions will be appreciated. They are broad enough to facilitate a discussion on technology per se.
Discussion:
The promise of technology was that it would improve the lives of humans by making life easier. Has this come to be? Consider the last time you dealt with an automated telephone answering system as compared to speaking with a real person. Consider a situation when your GPS has frustrated you. Consider a time when you called a helpline for technical support only to be given instructions that you can’t understand. Consider modern rockets and bombs. Consider the unhealthy pollution caused by fossil fuel driven vehicles. In view of the many unintended consequences of technology, can you honestly think that, on balance, technology has been good for human beings?
The current fruition of technology has improved the human condition in a number of ways. Advances have been made in the development and production of new medicines. Advances in all forms of transportation have made the world smaller. Likewise, communication has made the world a more interconnected space. AI, while it may be considered a double edged sword, has crept into areas of human life such that it is becoming ubiquitous. Technology has increased agricultural production tremendously. Can you really say that technology, on the whole, has been a detriment to humans?
What is your position as to whether technology has been an overall positive or a negative for human beings?
Without technological advances since IR, humans could have been extinct by pandemics from the expeditious evolving viruses and bacteria.
At present, with technology, humans are now aware [have knowledge] of the potential extinction of the human species from a rogue meteor that could exterminate humanity like what happened to the dinosaurs.
With advancing technology, there is hope humanity could divert any 'malignant' meteor from its path heading toward Earth.
With the positive trend of technology advances, humanity are now more knowledgeable of other threats to humanity on a global scale that could exterminate the human species; it is also from such advances that there is hope for humanity to deal with such threats.
The positive trend of technology advance toward the future must be complemented with high average moral competences within humanity.
Again it is the continuing trend of technological advances that will enable humanity to expedite the moral progress of individuals.