Technological Improvement Essay, Research Paper
Many people today assume automatically that engineering is advancement. Still, there
is some unfavorable judgment of this position in America, partly because of twentieth century
wars and weaponries races. Marx visited China in 1984, and it seemed as though the
Chinese were improbably optimistic about western engineering, and had small
sense any jobs that engineering might make. Where did this thought of
engineering as advancement semen from, and where do the roots of misgiving of
engineering semen from? Early Americans like Ben Franklin saw engineering as a
agencies to accomplishing societal and political release for the multitudes ; it was portion
of the rebellion from dictatorship. If some engineering, particularly the mill
system, would endanger these societal and political ends, so that thing International Relations and Security Network & # 8217 ; T
worth its monetary value in quality of life and should be rejected. As America became
more industrialised, the new industrialists who had both money and power came to
see the engineering which they helped bring forth as an terminal in itself, or as a agency
to more strictly economic terminals. The used phrases like “ manifest fate ”
and “ the conquering of nature ” to assist warrant the increasing forces of
engineering, even at the cost of the environment or Native Americans, all in the
name of “ civilisation. ” Technological promotion is seen as
promotion, period, irrespective of what societal and political alterations it might
bring. There was a great trade of optimism that if we continue to do scientific
inventions, the remainder & # 8211 ; quality of life, and societal and political ideals & # 8211 ; will
take attention of itself automatically. The “ technocratic ” ideal, which
sees everything as parts
of the machine, began to take control, and human-centered
ends like justness, freedom, and self-fulfillment became secondary. Technology
was accepted unquestioningly, and efficiency and scientific advancement were the
chief ends. This is the phase that the Chinese seem to be at, says Marx.
However, there was some recoil from the technocratic position. Emerson, Thoreau,
and others questioned whether we were refashioning America for the better, and
whether we were get downing to about idolize engineering. They questioned whether
new innovations were “ improved means to unimproved terminals ” ( p. 12 ) , and
whether we & # 8217 ; re going “ the tools of our tools ” ( p. 12 ) . However, it
was difficult to take this excessively earnestly when rapid betterments were being made in
the material conditions of life. Today, as we & # 8217 ; re going aware of some of the
unintended effects of engineering, many people are get downing to inquire if
engineering is ever a good thing. Is engineering better used as a tool for
societal and political advancement, or is it alternatively an terminal in itself? Furthermore, can
engineering remedy all of our societal and political jobs ( for illustration, SDI ) ? The
early impression of advancement which saw engineering as a mere means to more of import
terminals provided natural bounds, and a manner of measuring peculiar pieces of
engineering. If, nevertheless, we view engineering as an terminal in itself, we & # 8217 ; re non led
to of all time oppugn its value or topographic point any bounds on it. Marx thinks we need to
see what we want our engineerings to carry through. Does engineering intend
advancement? Progress toward what, Marx asks. What are our ends? When we answer
that inquiry, we can see that engineering does non automatically intend advancement
toward those ends
