"March of the Robots"
The
article by Leo Marx particularly interested me due to the depth at which he
described the origin of the "skeptical, even negative, view of
technological innovation as in index of social progress". I had never
considered the suggestion that the shift from Jefferson and Franklin’s
viewpoint of technology as a form of social and political liberation to the
idea that technology is needed to fulfill society’s thirst for more as the
cause for this skepticism. More often I had a more simple opinion similar to
that of Thoreau’s belief that men were becoming “the tools of their tools” and
that new inventions are “improved means to unimproved ends”. I was overwhelmed
by the realization that, while some science and technology is further developed
and sought after for the benefit of mankind as Jefferson would have liked, many
individuals working in some form of research capacity perform this research for
superficial reasons. I've dabbled in both research and industrial venues and
have come across quite a few professors (personally and through the grape vine)
that push their undergraduate and graduate students to write grants and publish
papers only for the purpose of notoriety and money. These are by far the most
frustrating professors to work for since they could care less about you, the
individual, when the attainment of further awards and honors are at stake.
I recall a coworker that was able to turn around work at lightning speeds, and while his customers were always happy to receive their nice and neat package of processed data several days early, he became a notorious engineer in our department through the methods he decided to conduct his work. He’d use archaic and outdated machinery because they were never used and he could always get his hands on them. In the meantime, all the rest of us had to stay and wait in line to perform our work, but in the end I firmly believe that the technology we chose to rely on were more sophisticated and reliable. What it came down to was that he was exploiting technology so that he would never have to tell the customer “no”. However in an industry in which the data we present and the conclusions we arrive at have human lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, I think it considerably more wise to be patient in order to ensure that the customer is receiving completely reliable and well thought out information for the benefit of the company and the consumers.In any case, I do feel shocked that the push for further developing science and technology has never crossed my mind to have political benefits. Social, yes, in terms of cancer research and the investigation in alternative energy solutions, however even in these fields I’m sure there are overhanging mists of greed to fuel people to work harder.
With regard to the “March of the Robots” article, this fear of giving robots the capability to “make their own decisions” is not new. Within the few decades, the media has exploded with the concept of our creations turning against us like in “I, Robot”, Transformers, and The Matrix. Like what Marx mentioned in his article, the excuse for the development of technology is to protect its’ respective nation. Only by creating more powerful and destructive equipment can any country survive – NOT by peace treaties or agreements between nations. It’s a very discouraging reality with a bleak and potentially dangerous future.
I recall a coworker that was able to turn around work at lightning speeds, and while his customers were always happy to receive their nice and neat package of processed data several days early, he became a notorious engineer in our department through the methods he decided to conduct his work. He’d use archaic and outdated machinery because they were never used and he could always get his hands on them. In the meantime, all the rest of us had to stay and wait in line to perform our work, but in the end I firmly believe that the technology we chose to rely on were more sophisticated and reliable. What it came down to was that he was exploiting technology so that he would never have to tell the customer “no”. However in an industry in which the data we present and the conclusions we arrive at have human lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, I think it considerably more wise to be patient in order to ensure that the customer is receiving completely reliable and well thought out information for the benefit of the company and the consumers.In any case, I do feel shocked that the push for further developing science and technology has never crossed my mind to have political benefits. Social, yes, in terms of cancer research and the investigation in alternative energy solutions, however even in these fields I’m sure there are overhanging mists of greed to fuel people to work harder.
With regard to the “March of the Robots” article, this fear of giving robots the capability to “make their own decisions” is not new. Within the few decades, the media has exploded with the concept of our creations turning against us like in “I, Robot”, Transformers, and The Matrix. Like what Marx mentioned in his article, the excuse for the development of technology is to protect its’ respective nation. Only by creating more powerful and destructive equipment can any country survive – NOT by peace treaties or agreements between nations. It’s a very discouraging reality with a bleak and potentially dangerous future.
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