CHAPTER VI

When Technology and Humanity Cross

Objectives
At the end of the topic, the students/readers are expected to:
1.) Explain the relationship between technology and society.
2.) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology.
3.) Relate human rights and the emerging technological dilemmas.

KEY CONCEPTS

Technology started as human civilization develop tools necessary for their survival. It can be defined as
the application of scientific knowledge on different processes that aids as the application of scientific
knowledge on different processes that aids in making life easier. Both advantages and disadvantages are
present despite the good intentions of technological development and advancement.

Technology and its Importance to Human Society

Technology, the application of scientific knowledge on techniques and processes, is used mainly in
industries. It has practical impact in the community’s agriculture, health, education, and transportation sectors.
It started when human civilization developed tools as they learn complex human behavior associated with
survival in the course of evolution.

Constant change occurs and the society today is very much different with the society in the past. Recent
generations of human being posses’ characteristics such as the willing ness to transformation, desire to transmit
and dominate information. As the society become technology dependent, life is cannot be imagines without is as
it brings ease and comfort into our lives.

Advantages of Modern Technology

1.) Improved communication, easy access to information and social networking

Man has communicated with each other differently over the past centuries and during human
development, advanced communication tools were invented to make the transmission of information faster and
easier. From spoken word stories of great ancestors 5 – 7 million years ago to the Morse code in 1836, humans
learned to use more understandable equipment like the typewriter in 1867 to write stories and office
communications and an online content communication in 2011 which includes software, web technology and
social media connections.

2.) Improved housing, lifestyle and entertainment

Materials used to build modern facilities compared to what is used in the past was more sophisticated
than ever. Equipment used for home activities and entertainment purposes are automated and more versatile. A
smart TV can now perform both television and computer functions.

3.) Convenience in Education

With the advent of modern technology, education is not only limited to a classroom setting. Distance
education through online course and other web-based seminars serves as avenue to reach almost every corner of
the world.

4.) Convenience in Travelling

Development and progress of one’s society is attributed to the efficiency of modern-day public transport
the gives easy access for merchandise and tourism. Singapore and Japan, two of the world’s advance countries,
have invested a lot for the improvement of their rail and airport system.
5.) Change in Health Industry
Technological advancements have changed the medical field as it introduces more sophisticated
equipment for diagnosis and treatment and recent breakthroughs have allowed for the discovery and
development of new treatment procedures and medicines such as the following:

INNOVATION DESCRIPTION
Star Trek Style Tricorder A multifunction hand-held device used for sensor
Scanning, data analysis and recording. It helps the
doctors detect diseases and collect vital information
about a patient’s condition.
Interoperability between Health Systems A system created for a workflow that allows the
transfer of information between healthcare facilities
for ease and accuracy of treatment of the patients.
Robotic Nurse Assistant There are robots designed to help nurses in
lifting/moving patients around without causing
injuries to the health care worker.
Artificial Retinas These are retinas intended to replace the retina of
individuals who lost their vision mainly as a result of
retinal degenerative diseases.
Advanced Prosthetics Neutral control is being used to move the prosthetics
with a challenge of creating an interphase that is
compatible to our nervous system to prevent latency
of movement.
Remote patient Monitoring A portal device use to aid the monitoring of all health
parameters to allow doctors to perform diagnosis
even without visiting a clinic.
Anti-aging Drugs This drug has entered trials in the hope of slowing
down the aging process to reduce the burden of
treating diseases such as cancer, diabetes and
dementia.
Tooth Regeneration It uses low-powered laser to active stem cells in
stimulating the growth of teeth. Other studies have
also identified the gene necessary for tooth activation.
Disinfecting Lightbulbs It uses visible light in health care facilities to
continuously disinfect and prevent infection. The
mechanism involves targeting porphyrins in bacteria
to produce “Reactive Oxygen Species” that will
reactivate bacterial reproduction in the area.
Electronic Underwear Preventing Bed Sores It creates electric charge for the patients to activate
the muscle and blood circulation in the area every ten
minutes.
Long Lasting Batteries Batteries with fast charging capabilities. It supports
the needs of power-hungry devices and equipment.

6.) Efficiency and Productivity

New technologies provide different industries to increase production, and reduce labor cost to meet the
demand of the growing society.

7.) Initiates creativity and innovation

It allows entrepreneurs to start up with their online business thereby opening an avenue for a more
creative and innovative approach. This would also enable the business to operate while the owner is attending to
other important activities.
Disadvantages of Modern Technology

1.) Job loss and human displacement

Unprecedented breakthrough in technology in the recent years has led a possible shift in economies that
use human labor as a main work force but these has cause companies to adopt new innovation little by little
leading to redundant functions between technologies and humans. It caused excitement towards the
development of products with globally accepted quality but raised some concerns over the possible massive job
lost.

In the Philippines, about 49% of the total waged workers are at high risk of technological innovations and
automation lower than Indonesia with 56%, Cambodia with 57% and Vietnam with 70%. The noted differences
are dependent on the major industries that support employment most especially those that are in the sales,
garments, and landscaping industries.

2.) World destruction weapons

From spears, bow and arrows to developed machineries and armaments, damaged communities and
death among countries at war in history was been destructive than ever. In these field includes drones, fly-by-
wire technologies, submarines, various missiles, and stealth technology in aircrafts, space and nuclear weapons.

3.) Increased loneliness

As technology develops, physical social isolation is seemingly increasing in which interactive
relationships among family members and friends is at stake. The youth today were almost focus their attention
on the available gadgets and rely mainly on social technology. Through social connection exists, studies
suggested that this kind of connection or relation makes an individual feels isolated leading to as superficial and
less rewarding relationships.

4.) Competency
Increased dependence on modern tools and technologies that create innovations and changes in the
society may reduce human creativity and intelligence.

Emerging Technological Ethical Dilemmas

Exploring concept, ethics, and policy issues of the society where modern technological advancement
interacts promotes advancement of S&T for the common good. It should be clear that recent technologies and
innovations should not hinder any individual from enjoying any of the rights stated in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights. In 2015 and 2016, Reilly Center for Science Technology and Values at the University of Notre
Dame released some of what it considers as emerging policies in relation to S&T.

1.) Real-time Satellite Surveillance Imagery

The adv0ancement of technologies brought down the price of acquiring satellites and made them smaller
and more sophisticated. Some companies launched these satellites such as Planet Labs, Skybox Imaging and
Digital Globe to record the status of the entire Earth in real time or near real-time. Satellite generated images are
said to be helpful in planning for and solving humanitarian problems, solve crimes and disaster risk reduction
but if these data would reach the hands of potential lefties, this might clearly violate the privacy of human life.

2.) Colonizing Mars: An Astronaut Bioethics

The NASA and a private company, Mars One, worked together for a space mission to colonize the planet
Mars. In 2018, Mars One is planning to launch a robotic mission to Mars and by 2025 four humans will be sent on
a one-way mission with the goal of establishing the first community outside Earth. This is a big breakthrough of
mankind but there is still a big need of risk assessment in establishing such colony outside the habitable zone.

3.) Wearable Technology

 Companies have developed several wearable technologies to suit human behavior and activities and still
continues to develop. It has a beneficial function in the field of education and health but their capabilities to
expose the private details of our lives could be a big problem.

4.) State-sponsored Hacktivism and “soft war”

Soft was is an unarmed force using cyber war and hacktivism with the aim of transforming cultural values
and identities of the society to achieve political ends. It also progresses to cultural invasions and psychological
operations and these will pose many threats to any government agency around the world.

5.) Enhanced pathogens

Researches about the functions of influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have beneficial impacts such as understanding the virus, its mode of transmission,
and treatment but was suspended in the U.S because of biosafety concerns such as the increase of mammalian
transmission and virulence which outweigh its benefit. A potential avenue exposing the virus to the general
public.

6.) Non-lethal weapons

From the name itself, these weapons are not designed to kill but they remain to be and emerging ethical
and policy dilemma. Non-lethal weapons may be used more liberally in situations that could be diffused by
peaceful means but indiscriminate use of such could be used as a means of torture. Laser missiles, blinding
weapons, pain rays, sonic weapons, electric weapons, gases and sprays, and all weapons alike are all considered
force multiplier when combined with lethal weaponry.

7.) Robot Swarms

The risk of this technology is the tendency of these robots to malfunction and cause harm and accidents.
The development of “kilobots”, a group of robots capable of communicating with each other and perform simple
tasks without human intervention. This technology was inspired by the swarm behavior of social insects with a
goal of using them in environmental cleanups or in responding to disasters.

8.) Artificial lifeforms

An emerging field of science known as synthetic biology is focused on the custom-building of synthetic
life forms by introducing synthetic DNA to an existing organism. This is a biological breakthrough and still safety
issues and risk factors are connected with the possible release of these artificial life forms into our environment.
There are synthetic organisms that becomes cure for diseases, this may also be used in developing biological
weapons in the future.

9.) Resilient social-ecological systems

The need to build resilience both in the social and ecological systems of each nation is necessary most
especially in facing societal problems brought about by poverty, economic globalization, and natural phenomena
as climate change and natural disasters.

10.) Brain-to-Brain interfaces

Researchers at the University of Washington have started Brain-to-Brain Interfaces experiment as early
as. A direct communication form one brain to another without speech but using an Electroencephalography
(EEG) machine that detects brain activity in the sender and a trans-cranial magnetic stimulation coil that
controls movement in the receiver thereby performing the act as directed by the sender. Ethical issues were
arising which concerns the kind of neurosecurity that can be used to prevent accidental sharing or removal of
information form an individual brain, intellectual property rights and liability between the sender and receiver if
one commits a mistake.

Test Your Knowledge

1.) What is the importance of technology in human society?
2.) Based on your understanding, which of the discussed emerging technological ethical dilemmas should be
resolved as soon as possible?

3.) Give the beneficial and ill effects of technology in the following areas:
Family relations –

Work –

Communication –

Education –

Environment –

Security -