Technology has been advancing in a way that the society could not readily control (Hochschild et al 1). There are many critics about how the technology could really influence the society and the future. With the changes in the society and culture, advancement in the technology is a very important power that could greatly affect in the future. The objective of this essay is to discuss the three important concepts which are technological determinism, technological optimism and technological pessimism. The essay also aims to analyze its examples as well as the responsibility of engineers.
Technological determinism is a concept and a theory which argues that the development of the culture and the society is driven by the advancements of technology. The first elaborator of the technological determinism is Karl Marx which argues that social relations and cultural practices are generally influenced by production technology (Oliver 373). There are two major aspect of the concept of technological determinism. First, it presents the idea that technology has a tendency to advance in a predictable and traceable way which is beyond political and cultural influence. Secondly, it presents the concept that technology has an inherent effects to the society and culture since people organize themselves as they support its development and advancement (Hochschild et al 2).
Technological optimism is a philosophical view that the developments and the advancement of the technology is beneficial to the society. It is an ideology that view the future as a world that is filled with technological advancements which supports the society. Technological optimism is based on the ideas of singularitarianism and trans-humanism (Hochschild et al 2). These are movements that promotes the technological advancement such as the creation of artificial intelligence which they believed to support the society of people. According to the doctrine of technological optimism, the technological advancements and improvements especially in the field of production and sustainability will eventually help mankind to sustain life (Oliver 375).
Technological pessimism is the opposite of technological optimism. It is the philosophical view which argues that developments and the advancement of the technology is not beneficial to the society. It presents the idea that the technological improvements would not sustain life or society in the future. The major concern of a technological pessimist is the security (Hochschild et al 3). They believed that technological advancements will only provide harm and risk to the society. There are many critics that supports the idea or view of technological pessimism. They presents some of the evidences such as climate change, overpopulation, and ecological collapse (Oliver 376).
In the documentary Transcendent Man, these three theoretical concepts were presented and analyzed. In this film, Ray Kurzweil presented his theory which is the technological singularity in a technological deterministic way. Ray Kurzweil believed that technology becomes the tool for man to advance and it will also accelerate due to improvements in the technology. The technological optimism is presented in his theory technological singularity. In this theory, people in the future will live simply with the help of the GNR or the Genetics, Nanotechnology and Robotics. The technological pessimism is presented by Ray Kurzweil as death. It means people will only die and do not have contribution to the development of the society without the help of technological advancement.
Technology can easily change the ways of life of people in a society. In the past, communication has been slow and only with the help of physical transportation. However, in the future, people can easily communicate just by the use of the internet. People could now share ideas and knowledge without the limitations of time, affordability and distance. The exchange of information could now be easily done with the help of the technological advancements. In the modern times, not only the society are influenced by technology but also culture. There many things that are now being developed and created which are not normal to the culture of the people in the past.
With the changes in the society and culture, advancement in the technology is a very important power that could greatly affect in the future. In this case, engineers, who are establishing the developments of the technology, have a greater responsibility for the direction of technological advancement than the general public (Hochschild et al 5). Engineers have the power to choose or to decide to where the technological advancements could go. The power of decision made engineers more responsible for the future of mankind. In this case, engineers should be fully aware of the results and effects of the technology they are creating and developing (Oliver 377).
According to Ray Kurzweil, technological advancement is growing exponentially and it is the way for the people and machines to live in harmony. However, I disagree with him since I believe that there should be a boundary in which man could use the technological advancement. Ray Kurzweil view the future in which humans will have microchips in the body in which biological cells and non-biological cells will support life itself. It could help man to stop aging and fight all the diseases. However, I disagree to him because it could destroy the meaning of life and it will question its purpose. I argue that there should always be a line in which machines and man could work together not to the point of ruining some of the ethical and moral issues.
Work Cited:
Hochschild, J., Crabill, A., Sen, M. Technology Optimism or Pessimism: How Trust in Science Shapes Policy Attitudes toward Genomic Science. Center for Technology Innovations, 21(1), 1-16. 2012. Print.
Oliver, M. Technological determinism in educational technology research: some alternative ways of thinking about the relationship between learning and technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27: 373–384. 2011. Print.
