HAVE WE BECOME SLAVES

OF TECHNOLOGY ?
"We live in a society exquisitely dependent the highest order and was highly regarded as
on science and technology, in which hardly one of the most prominent explorers of
anyone knows anything about science and visual communication and sight-related
technology", said Carl Sagan, an American theories as well.
astronomer, astrophysicist; cosmologist, author "It has become appallingly obvious that our
and highly successful science populariser technology has exceeded our humanity", said
and science communicator in the Space and Albert Einstein, often regarded as the father of
Natural Sciences. During his lifetime, he modern physics whose great intelligence and
published more than 600 scientific papers and originality have made the word "Einstein"
popular articles and was author, co-author, or synonymous with genius. A witty man too, who
editor of more than 20 books. Unfortunately, had a penchant for delivering gems like the
what he said has a smattering of truth in it. How one mentioned above. Well, Einstein's
many of us can claim to have a deep remarks were made with the dark shadow of
understanding of the workings of a nuclear weapons in mind, but the same
television? Even graduates from Pratheek Praveen Kumar holds true even now. With technology
professional colleges sometimes do First prize winner of CSR Super Brain expanding now at a surprising pace,
not understand the nuanced workings Youth Contest 2011 (2) : Topic 2 there is no telling what may be
of the gadgets we use in our lives with Mr. Pratheek Praveen Kumar is a resident discovered now, or more importantly,
regularity. Even technical subjects of Bengaluru, Karnataka. He is a B.E. in how it will be used. Nuclear power is
harped upon by the media, and thus Telecommunications and uses a very lucid both destructive and useful. Several
brought to the attention of hoi polloi language to express his ideas. He chooses apocalyptic yarns have been woven over
in long drawn-out debates and his words very carefully and succeeds in the years of scientists' developing
discussions by news channels, like the establishing a rapport with his readers at technologies that can be cataclysmic to
3G standards are not well-known to once the world at large. The basis of all
the public. In this milieu of universal ignorance, we are these stories deals with mankind's lust for power and
practically blind. "Omne ignotum pro magnifico", is an individuals trying to control the world for their own ends
old proverb which means everything unknown is with the hero trying to stop the villain. While this may
magnificent. We seem to be following it faithfully, and sound too frivolous to happen in the real world, one can
are so much in awe of this rumbling colossus .called never say.
technology that we stare at it, impressed and open-mouthed, With, life now becoming synonymous with computers,
ignoring the fact that this ignorance may get us trampled mobile phones, ipods and other gadgets, we seem to
down. consider their presence as ordinary and their absence as
With ignorance so common, we seem to be at the mercy of something unnatural. "I am sorry to say that there is too
technology and not the other way round. For how can one much point to the wisecrack that life is extinct on other
be the master of something one does not know anything planets because their scientists were more advanced than
about. With technological advances taking place at a ours", said John E Kennedy, the 35th President of the
breakneck pace, it looks like the "aam admi" cannot keep U.S.A. Kennedy's youth, energy, and charming family
up. However, one facet of this technological brought him world adulation and sparked the idealism of a
development to be noted is .that the development seems to generation, for whom the Kennedy White House became
be accelerating. known as "Camelot". A charismatic personality that he
If we lie back and relax for some time and watch, or was, his life was tragically cut short before his time, by
rather observe the world around us, we get to notice a few Lee Harvey Oswald. Supposedly, anyway. Murky rumours
things. With technology moving ahead by leaps and bounds, still abound as to his murderer or murderers, but well,
we try to take advantage of these advances. We buy various that is beside the point. He was also known as a brilliant
gadgets arid try to incorporate technology into our lives orator and had a way with words. Technology can be very
so that our lives become simpler. We become used to dangerous too 'as can be evinced from Hiroshima and
having things easy and with time, we lead lives utterly Nagasaki. Recent efforts to decrease the number of
dependent on advanced technology. Whien new technology is nuclear warheads notwithstanding, we still hold our own
developed, we try to introduce it into our lives and make destruction in our hands, but the question is how long?
it easier. "Technological progress has merely provided us with With rogue elements and terrorist groups hankering after
more efficient means for going backwards", said Aldous weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), logically it looks
Huxley, an English writer and one of the most prominent like it is only a matter of time before they get a WMD.
members of the famous Huxley family. By the end of his There is a theorem called as the infinite monkey theorem. It
life, Huxley was considered, in some academic circles, a states that if a million monkeys are given typewriters
leader of modern thought and an intellectual of (Continued on page 154)
 SUPER BRAIN YOUTH CONTEST 2011
(Continued from page 46)
and set to work, they would eventually come up with the
complete works of Shakespeare. This frolicsome theory
basically shows the power of large numbers. It we factor in
a large amount of time, who knows what terrorists will
be able to do, or get hold of, taking in human error also
into account? Pretty much, as one can imagine. So here
we are at the mercy of terrorists, where we cannot destroy
them completely as they are mutable and fluid in their
approach, but they can deal out heavy damage to the
world at large. Here technology is dangerous to both the
sides.
"All of the biggest technological inventions created by
man—the airplane, the automobile, the computer—says
little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his
laziness", said Mark Kennedy, an American businessman
and politician who was a Republican member of the United
States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007.
Technology as the above-mentioned statement implies has
made us a lazier and lazier. With technological advances
making our life easier, we tend to take life easy, depending
almost entirely on these devices and we feel lost, if these
devices are taken away from close propinquity. Life seems
impossible sans these devices. We are heavily
inconvenienced, if there are power shutdowns and we feel
helpless. Technology, these days, directs our actions and
our decisions and sometimes, we do things based only on
technology. This has become especially prevalent over the
last few years. Reading the last few lines, if we replace the
word 'technology' with 'master', doesn't it read Like the
words of a slave?
It will not be prudent, however, to say that we have
become slaves of technology. After all, it is man who has
created all the things, which collectively account for
technology, for his own comfort and to make his life worth
living. Even if technology looks like master sometimes, it is,
in fact, a puppet in the hands of man who is actually its
master. If man had not been its master, technological
advances would not have continued with each passing day.
Every year, man succeeds in achieving some new milestones
and moves a step further in the direction of perfection. It
will be cynical to call technology something having a unique
identity of its own. We have brought it into being; we have
nurtured it, we have given it a shape. It is up to us whether
we use it for the common good or destruction of our own
race. In fact, we should be a bit serious while discussing it.
Nuclear energy, for instance, can be a good source of power
we need for development and we can cut our carbon
emission to a great extent, but it will bode ill for humanity, if
we do not put an end to our lust for global political
power by engaging in the nuclear arms race. Humanity
looks forward to even newer technological developments,
no doubt, but shudders at the thought of another Nagasaki or
Hiroshima. Aldous Huxley did not dislike science or
technology, nor did Albert Einstein. Actually, what they
tried to bring home to us was the idea that technology
should not be used for destructive purposes. They wanted us
to remain human not unscrupulous in our approach to
science or technology. We had been, we are and we will be
the master of technology, never a slave of technology. It is
all a matter of perception. If we think that we are slaves of
technology, we become. Similarly, if we think that we are
its master, it is bound to be at our beck and call. We can
use it as we will, according to our need.