Monday, December 3, 2012

The Opportunities Technology Gives Us


     Technology gives us the ability to do things more precisely, quickly, and even to do jobs that we could not do at all. With technology we are making the impossible possible; prosthetic limbs and hearing aids bring people close to regaining what they have lost. We are even sending drones to different planets to further our knowledge of space. Some say that with the evolution of technology, humans are having to use less energy, do less physically, and are becoming more lazy as a result. While it is true that some technology can reduce the need to physically do some things, it is equally, if not more, true that technology gives us the time and tools to be more productive.

     Technology can be split into two groups, how it affects us mentally, and how it affects us physically. Mentally, technology helps us so that we can use our time more effectively. With technology we can do more things at once, and faster, which relieves some mental stress and lets us think about more important things. However, by using technology we reduce the need to do most things that are physical. We have created machines and such that do certain jobs for us, for instance, the automobile. With the invention of the car, walking became an exercise and a chore; taking a car would get you to your destination much faster and with much less physical effort. If productivity is measured by quantity or quality of output per time spent, then taking a car is being more productive, although you lose the physical benefits from walking, you have saved time and can do more. With the advances in medical technology, we are close to giving people back full functioning limbs that almost look and feel like the real thing. 

     Prosthetic limbs give people the ability to regain their life and do things that they would otherwise not be able to, due to their missing limb. People who have lost a leg, or a part of it, and would not normally be able to walk, can now run. We can almost return full hearing back to those who are severely hearing impaired. Technology gives us so many resources to be more productive.

(see full essay HERE)

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