Lok dis shit

[Tempest Dahlia]

I was wondering... Our world is advancing in technology to the point where literally EVERYTHING can be done on a computer. Is this a smart idea, to pour our lives into something that could fail at any time? Not to mention all the other possible things that could happen.

 

So... Is technology good and/or bad to you?

Please explain your answer in a respectful and considerate manner. And please, no religous stuff.

[Dark]

Both.

 

Good because humans will do less labor.

Bad becaused humans will be replaced in their jobs.

 

Good because new technology makes things easier.

Bad because this tech. can get into the wrong hands.

[CinnamonStar]

I'd like to add:

 

Good because of the horizons it opens for us. Technology has offered many new possibilities, new forms of art (photoshop, webdesign, music etc.) and new hobbies.

 

Bad because it destroys the environment and can become a danger for humanity, depending on the use. Weapons, etc.

 

 

Good because everyone has the chance to be informed quickly and easily about what's happening in the world.

 

Bad because the media can be full of corruption and lies.

 

 

Good because it connects people. Thanks to the Internet, phones, etc. you can keep in touch with family members and friends who leave far away from you. Basically it puts people together and increases communication. Doesn't mean that I don't like letters though...

 

Bad because it also decreases communication and can cause or enforce isolation (cf hikikomori).

Plus techn. can "enslave" mankind, lead to dependance etc.

 

 

Good because humans will do less labor and new technology makes things easier. Agreed with Dark.

 

Bad because this tech. can get into the wrong hands and life can become too easy which causes people to become lazy and think that all their wishes are just at hand. Good things don't come cheap even though they're free...

 

 

Bad too because human workers are replaced by technologies.

 

Yet good because it creates new jobs again. Machines don't emerge out of nothing and there will still be a lot to do.

 

 

 

Basically I think both.

Technology has opened a whole new range of possibilities and new horizons but at the same time it has taken its tribute in society and of course there is the ecological aspect and the danger if it falls into the wrong hands.

I guess it's all a matter of abuse and choosing not to become dependant of it.

 

Also I didn't just think about computers and videogames but also GPS, electric amplifiers for instruments, films and movie programs, the cinema.

 

But personally, for those who think technology only leads to moral degradation and the destruction of the environment I can just say that it's not just about that.

Same with those who think as soon as a teen runs riot or something it MUST BE THE FAULT OF ZEH VIDEOGAMES AND COMPUTARZ!!

[Tempest Dahlia]

Wow... That was alot to read XD

Any other opinions? Have you guyz heard of supercomputers?

[OMGAKITTY]

Meh. This isn't a debate if everyone takes the middle road.

 

Technology is good. Our ability to reason and invent are what makes us the dominant force on this planet. Technology does get rid of some jobs, mainly in the blue-collar section of factory work, but it also creates far more jobs in many industries that would not exist without the advancement of technology.

 

Thanks to the internet, the world is more connected than it has ever been before. News travels at an amazing speed. Its true this world would be royally funked if somehow, every computer crashed at the same time, but (loly2k) I don't really see that happening, short of aliens shooting some sort of massive EMP at our planet. Which would be pretty freaking cool, you know, if you ignore the death and destruction it would cause and stuff.

[Dark]

With the increase of techonology also leads into the increase of death. With newer technology, better weapons can be created. Remember when the atom bomb was first created? How many people did we kill with all those A-bombs?

 

But, OMGAKITTY is right.

The positives outweigh the negatives.

[OMGAKITTY]

With the increase of techonology also leads into the increase of death. With newer technology' date=' better weapons can be created. Remember when the atom bomb was first created? How many people did we kill with all those A-bombs?

 

But, OMGAKITTY is right.

The positives outweigh the negatives.

[/quote']

 

Less than if we had invaded, actually.

[Dark]

Meh, that's true as well.

 

All I'm saying is that the increase of techonology COULD lead to a slip in the tub or shower, you owe it to yourself to call Premier bath better weapons killing more and more people.

 

Then again, the more people dead means the less the Earth is overpopulated.

[OMGAKITTY]

But technology is only helping to facilitate something that is already there. Sure, it allows people to kill more, and faster, but the urge to kill one another was there before the technology was. You remove all these guns and missiles and bombs, and you'd still have people bashing each others' heads in with clubs or stabbing each other with knives.

[Dark]

Knives can kill less people than a gun or a bomb can.

[Static]

In the end, it will be advancement that will be our downfall.

 

The further we develop technology, the closer we will get to engineering our own demise, whether it is chemical or biological I cannot say for certain, but I predict biological.

[Dark]

In the end' date=' it will be advancement that will be our downfall.

 

The further we develop technology, the closer we will get to engineering our own demise, whether it is chemical or biological I cannot say for certain, but I predict biological.

[/quote']

 

Usually you provide some 3 paragraphs of speculation and proof, or a link. What happened?

[Tempest Dahlia]

In the end' date=' it will be advancement that will be our downfall.

 

The further we develop technology, the closer we will get to engineering our own demise, whether it is chemical or biological I cannot say for certain, but I predict biological.

[/quote']

 

Right on the mark, my good sir.

[Tempest Dahlia]

Bump.

[Dark]

But take this, for example.

 

In the next few thousand years, a star will blow up somewhere and do something that might kill us (Omega blast, or Alpha blast, or some sheet).

 

However, we might be able to develop our technology enough to protect ourselves against this.

 

Saving us from certain doom.

[Tempest Dahlia]

But then the next day, we get pissed off at Saudi Arabia and bam, neuclear warfare. We all die anyway.

Either way, technology is a boon, but still, I think we are advancing and finding out way too much for our own good...

[OMGAKITTY]

But then the next day' date=' we get pissed off at Saudi Arabia and bam, neuclear warfare. We all die anyway.

Either way, technology is a boon, but still, I think we are advancing and finding out way too much for our own good...

[/quote']

 

I think its far more likely that we'll poison the earth to death before we enter into a nuclear war.

[Tempest Dahlia]

Well yeah, that's true, but I was just making a point.

I'm just saying this because it almost happened in the Arms Race some 40 years ago. Who knows how far we'll advance in the next couple thousand years?

Better yet, who cares? we'll be dead by then.

[Dark]

I doubt we will all die in a few thousand years. Notice the ALL.

[Tempest Dahlia]

Unless ALL of us can preserve our bodies for 10,000 years, we'll be dead.

I highly doubt there can be a 10,015 year old in this world... It's just impossible.

[OMGAKITTY]

820's all refers to everyone alive on the planet right now.

Dark's all refers to the human race.

[Tempest Dahlia]

Oh... Well, he should have been specific!

Well, there is a chance that something can happen. Anything can happen and kill all of us. A leak of sorts, an Astroid, global warming... Who knows? Honestly.

[Tempest Dahlia]

Bump.

[Tempest Dahlia]

bump

[The Dark One]

As a rule, I do think that technology has a positive impact on the world, but I'm just going to play devil's advocate here for a second and provide some counter-arguments for you guys.

 

There are numerous studies on human happiness, fulfillment, etc. in the department of psychology. Hard work and the surmounting of obstacles has a direct impact on happiness. By cutting people out from work, we are, in a sense, making it more difficult for them to achieve a sense of "fulfillment" or "happiness" in life. Ideally, as labor-intensive jobs are filled by machines (physical labor, waiters, secretaries, court scribes, mechanics, etc.), humans would dedicate their time instead to critical and creative thinking pursuits. (which we should have more of anyways) But to be honest, we're pleasure-seeking animals, and I'm not at all certain that there won't be large numbers of people who don't really do anything productive for society (be it technological, philosophical, cultural, whatever) and that are really quite unhappy. These people will indulge in the pleasures of life without bothering with higher thinking.

 

The other worry is the advancements taking place in weapons technology. By increasing the power of our weaponry, we are further abstracting the concept of might. In a knife fight, a person with good eyesight, coordination, and flexible and strong muscles will do better than someone without those advantages. If a nuke goes off, that person is dead regardless.

 

Now, at first you would argue that we are simply making evolution favor intelligence, creativity, etc. --> The scientists producing the new weaponry and the politicians rallying their countries are now the evolutionary peak of society. But consider, intelligence won't protect you from a bomb. Neither will charisma. Obviously, these characteristics can have a certain effect. Scientists can work out ways to shoot missiles down before they hit, etc. But by further abstracting this process, bringing the benefits of a trait farther away from the trait itself (simply the knowledge of what you need to do to shoot down a missile isn't going to instantly allow you to do so. There is equipment to consider, time investure, cost, labor, etc.) you are making natural selection a less reliable process. The effect of this? You drastically slow or possibly even halt the evolutionary process. Because selection is more random, a large variance in traits begins to emerge, with very dumb and very smart people. Very good hearing, very bad hearing, etc, etc. Inbreeding causes excellent people to produce less than excellent offspring, further slowing down the evolutionary process.

 

So, in a way, is it possible that technological advancement, as least in the weapons department, would completely and utterly bring human evolutionary progress to a standstill?