Advancement

[Gonz]

ris quoted PT & it makes for an interesting thread.

Who is to say what is best for the world, is what we believe automatically the way everyone should believe? That's pretty arrogant.

Look at the last 100 years alone. Telephones, television, radio, aeronautics, space travel, automobiles, medicine, just to name a few that have gone from non-existant or barely existant to commonplace.

Unfortunately, there has been a very dark side too.

Homicides in 1900 were about 3 per 100,000 population. In 1996 it was over 10 per.

Out of wedlock births (I couldn't get a solid number before) 1970 was around 10%. In 1998 it was 31%.

Prison populations have risen: 1930 100 prisoners per 100,000 population to over 350 per.

Somebody today was saying in WWI, when the recruits used typical bullseyes for practice, the "first time kill" on the battlefield was 30%. Psyops got involved & added the human silhouette for the recruits of WWII. The battlefield figure jumped from 30% to 60%. BTW, guess who invented "video games".

While we've advanced scientifically, we've regressed socially. With all the problems they had "back then" maybe butting into the neighbors business wasn't such a bad thing?

 

[Squiggy]

BTW, guess who invented "video games".

Why, Al Gore, of course...

 

[Gonz]

NO! He invented the internet.

 

[a13antichrist]

The quote has nothing to do with technological advancement. It's talking about imposing one society's belief systems, social perspective, and philosophy of life on another with the blind arrogance that yours is better than theirs. Things like the Crusades, religious missionaries and Western Imperialism.

Was it the quote you wanted to discuss or the issue of the true value of technological advancement? There have long been groups that have touted the evils of science (mormons, for example; another that starts with A but can't remember what.. ), but the general consensus has long been that the evils of technology far outweigh the bad - because in the end, the evils of technology are not inherent, but rely on human nature to exploit them. The problem lies in making this technology available to those with the inclinatin to misuse it. Or, more fundamentally, our retardness in raising such people.

Additionally, I would disagree that rates of homocide, prison populations and especially out-of-wedlock births had much to do with technological advancement - the only people the bastard births are bothering are hardcore religious fanatics, of which we have much fewer (but who perhaps are more vocal) than before, and higher crime rates are simpy due to the fact that people have less fear in Gld and have nlt been taught basic respect for humanity as a replacement. Same thing as above.

 

[AlladinSane]

... but the general consensus has long been that the evils of technology far outweigh the bad - because in the end, the evils of technology are not inherent, but rely on human nature to exploit them.

That pretty much sums it all. I can say in addintion that humankind didn't advance so much morally as it did technologically...

 

[freako104]

a whole race who based their evolution on technologies but still have their primal urges(JTHM)


as for the video games wasnt it the army that created them?

 

[PT]

humankind didn't advance so much morally as it did technologically...

I think that's the big thing, with all these technological advances came new responsibilities, responsibilities that we as humans were not prepared to live up to.

Now, I'm a huge fan of technology, but I do see that alot of the technology we have is being used for the wrong reasons. Just look at nuclear technology in the last 60 years. Do we try to harness that power for good or evil first? We obviously realized that it could produce massive amounts of heat, but we also realized that it would create tremendous explosions. So rather than trying to harness the heat, we tried to build bigger and better bombs, then 20 years later decided it could be a viable fuel source as well.

I don't really think though that technology has done this to humans, rather humans have used the technology that has been invented to become more efficent killers, rapists, and warmongers. Didn't hvae too many drive-by shootings back in 1903, but then it would have been a little hard to reload the musket while driving your carriage over the rutted dirt road.

 

[freako104]

I think that's the big thing, with all these technological advances came new responsibilities, responsibilities that we as humans were not prepared to live up to.

Now, I'm a huge fan of technology, but I do see that alot of the technology we have is being used for the wrong reasons. Just look at nuclear technology in the last 60 years. Do we try to harness that power for good or evil first? We obviously realized that it could produce massive amounts of heat, but we also realized that it would create tremendous explosions. So rather than trying to harness the heat, we tried to build bigger and better bombs, then 20 years later decided it could be a viable fuel source as well.

I don't really think though that technology has done this to humans, rather humans have used the technology that has been invented to become more efficent killers, rapists, and warmongers. Didn't hvae too many drive-by shootings back in 1903, but then it would have been a little hard to reload the musket while driving your carriage over the rutted dirt road.

while I do agree with you PT remember some technology was good cars(tho i hate pollution it makes travel easier) planes,medicine(as Gonz pointed out) so its not all being used for bad however it is a fact that weapons in general were created thats for the wrong reasons

 

[Gonz]

Interesting. I only added the technological advancements as a reference point of where we were & where we are. That wasn't the idea at all.

The idea was to point out that as we've become detached from our families, friends & neighbors, we've moved backwards & become more violent.

 

[chcr]

friends & neighbors, we've moved backwards & become more violent.

I'm not sure I agree with that entirely, Gonz. I don't think we've become more (or less) violent as a species. I'm not sure we can. There is certainly more access to weapons than there used to be. I'm sure this contributes to the murder rate some. I think you'll find the family unit has been growing weaker and more fragmented throughout recorded history, not just recently. The tribes of Israel were originally extended families. So in fact, we haven't gone backwards, but continued a trend. Besides, for all practical purposes, time only flows in one direction.