Surely in the present day we have the technology to truly make a difference for all the people in the world, yet there still exists large discrepancies in wealth and quality of life around the globe (Woodhouse, pg. 233). Though there are many outlets in the scientific community that have reached out to global communities to help issues such as needing food, clothes, shelter, and clean water, however due to circumstances on both sides it seems impossible to help everyone that certainly needs it.
A great example is the use of Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs, to feed needy communities or communities in the middle of a drought or other natural disaster. Because of the uncertainty of potential side effects of ingesting GMOs, most people around the world reject them for not wanting to put potential toxins in their bodies, even though the use of GMOs would allow the entire world to be fed. It’s understandable for people to be wary of the side effects of GMOs, but the question still stands that if we have the technology to feed the world, why don’t we have the resources to make sure they are safe to eat over a lifetime?
I believe the main problem isn’t one of technology, but one of humanity. While there surely exists goodwill between people of the planet, it is not the primary motivator for outreach projects like this. As cynical as it sounds, money is what makes the world go round, and a company’s ability to profit off of a new technology is what makes these projects happen. In order to make goodwill projects like these more commonplace, it needs to be more profitable for corporations to want to invest money into research and development into good causes.
Greed is another aspect of humanity that concerns equality. Though the top 15 of the world is richer than the bottom 3 billion, you won’t find any of those fifteen people willing to give away large sums of money to needier folks. It would be a simple solution to just have the richest people give to the poorest, but at the same time that wouldn’t accomplish much; as the saying goes, it’s better to teach a man how to fish than to just give him a fish. What most of these money-starved communities need is a stable infrastructure to help build their economy to the point of self sufficiency. It remains to be seen if the greed and desire power of man will allow that to happen.
Woodhouse, Edward. The Future of Technological Civilization. University Readers, 2013. Print.
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