The Age of Technology

                                                           The Age of Technology 

 

We live in the age of a technical revolution and can every day enjoy the benefits of man’s efforts to conquer groundbreaking fields of technical knowledge turned into useful tools to improve man’s life. Compared to last century, we are now living in a fully technically transformed world of innovation and discovery. Starting from medical science and its application to improve health care and treatment, we enjoy a new hopeful era of advancement in many respects. The Information, Digital Technology (IT), has thoroughly affected our lives through the use of computers as communication and entertainment devices, networking and electronic data. Even our cell phones are tiny, microscopic computers which have revolutionized the way we communicate among each other. The whole world of business, social life, entrepreneurship and all walks of life have been dramatically transformed through the emergence of the new technologies.  

Never before in human history was there such an amazing and extraordinary scientific, technological progress and advancement in less than 50 years. The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century compared to our current technological revolution seems like a small venture. However, our world is facing a lot of challenges, like pandemics, wars, poverty, conflicts, moral decay and clash of civilizations. In the face of those challenges, there are cases where technology can help and others where technology cannot do anything. Technology alone cannot solve the crucial problems of our world today. Technology and science should be accompanied by moral principles and a set of human values.  “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” Carl Sagan Nevertheless, our dependency on science and technology should be determined through a philosophy of loyalty and good use. Insecticides, for example, can harm the environment if used in inappropriate ways and abused.  

We may be proud of our technological and scientific achievements and benefit from such positive developments for our lives. But there are also the negative effects of technology and science that we must take into consideration.  One of the negative side effects of technology is air, water, heat and environmental pollution nowadays. Sociologists already speak of technology addiction, due to the extensive use of computers and mobile phones i.e., overexposure to technology. A lot of young people are hooked for hours in front of such a device, becoming slaves of modern age technology. “Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we’re too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.”- Steven Spielberg Human beings are able to build super tanks, aircrafts, weapons or any super sophisticated devices with potential to destroy the “enemy”, but also create things which can benefit humankind and lead to prosperity. It is therefore a matter of priority and motivation that has to be based on moral principles and human values. Another issue is how to go about using things properly by following ethical rules and respecting privacy and human rights on a big or small scale.  

It needs to be made clear that humankind above all is facing a great challenge and this has to do with the priority of establishing peace and cooperation among nations. Then, the vehicle of science and technology has the means to achieve development and prosperity as a result of having created a world community that functions in unison and good will. Politicians must think globally and not locally and primarily consider the world community and then themselves. It’s a daunting task to find a formula that should transcend national interests, but any other practice will lead to conflict and disagreement. It is necessary to fill the gap between rich and poor, educated and non-educated, privileged and non-privileged. It should be our dream come true to create a world of brotherhood and cooperation and then through the means of science and technology realize the goal of a world of peace and prosperity. “Technology is unlocking the innate compassion we have for our fellow human beings.” Bill Gates This is not a fantasy, but within our reach, because we are equipped and qualified to do it, provided that we awaken in us the belief and innate potential to benefit others for both our sake.  

All in all, it is our duty to define science and technology in a good sense and select their benefits for human life, happiness and prosperity. The future of humankind depends on our decisions today and if we are prepared to follow the rules, principles and ethical human values. We are responsible for the upcoming generations and their future, and it’s up to us today to guarantee them their happiness and prosperity. If we fulfill our responsibility today, we won’t feel any regret tomorrow.