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Wafflesquad
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Wafflesquad
170 posts
Peasant

I might get flamed to a crisp for this, but is technology necessarily a good thing? Like, just think: Two hundred years ago, the pioneers built log cabins with the bare minimum of tools, and cut down the trees themselves. Today, no one in America would ever do that, even if they had to. They probably couldn't.
And I'mAmerican, and that's the way I see it. Correct me if I'm wrong.

  • 72 Replies
jdoggparty
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jdoggparty
5,860 posts
Nomad

The more we use technology, the less we actually do ourselves.

We actually can do more with technology. If it wasn't for technology, we probably wouldn't hang out with friends as much. Seriously, if you had to walk to your friends house, or walk all the way to the theatre (which we wouldn't have without technology) and meet them? I mean, if you lived very close to everything, yes, but without technology like cars and phones to talk to people, we wouldn't be able to communicate to travel places with friends.

When technology fails, where are we left?

If I wanted to be an A-- I could say "You just said we don't do as much with technology. So we are left doing more things," but I'm not going to say that.
I will say, that we still can do many things with technology. You can always write out on paper exactly what you would do for work on the computer, and then just keep working on the paper until the CPU is fixed. Typing things you already wrote is much faster than typing from what you are thinking. Plus that is just one example. The technology you were using might not be all that important, and you could just go outside and play.
supremzach
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supremzach
95 posts
Nomad

and there wouldint be as many jobs

MageGrayWolf
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MageGrayWolf
9,462 posts
Farmer

You can always write out on paper exactly what you would do for work on the computer, and then just keep working on the paper until the CPU is fixed. Typing things you already wrote is much faster than typing from what you are thinking. Plus that is just one example.


If you have the right program you could take that piece of paper scan it into your computer and it will convert what you wrote into a text file.
darkrai097
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darkrai097
858 posts
Nomad

If it weren't for technology, we wouldn't have AG.

cddm95ace
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cddm95ace
165 posts
Nomad

I wouldn't ever want to give up technology, but I do think it could still be good. I would say that as a whole, generations have been getting less intelligent as technology has become more influential, and that people are less active, which is bad.

NoNameC68
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NoNameC68
5,043 posts
Shepherd

I wouldn't ever want to give up technology, but I do think it could still be good. I would say that as a whole, generations have been getting less intelligent as technology has become more influential, and that people are less active, which is bad.


People have become less intelligent? How so?

The more we use technology, the less we actually do ourselves.


Well, sort of?

http://i51.tinypic.com/96jkpe.jpg

You can argue this farmer is doing less than,

http://i51.tinypic.com/263hcb9.jpg

this farmer.

With technology, we can achieve MUCH greater results with less work. This isn't generally a bad thing by any means.

I might get flamed to a crisp for this, but is technology necessarily a good thing? Like, just think: Two hundred years ago, the pioneers built log cabins with the bare minimum of tools, and cut down the trees themselves. Today, no one in America would ever do that, even if they had to. They probably couldn't.
And I'mAmerican, and that's the way I see it. Correct me if I'm wrong.


Not every pioneer knew how to build a log cabin. Regardless, the reason so many pioneers knew how to build log cabins is because they had to know so they could survive.

Let's go back to the year 1900. About 31% of the labor force in America were farmers. Today, only about 2% of the labor force are farmers, thanks to technology. Percentage wise, less of the labor force are farmers and less of the labor force know how to farm. Does this mean they aren't as intelligent as the men in the 1900s?

No, it doesn't. We don't have to devote our lives to farming. We can devote our lives to medicine, art, programming, cooking, any scientific field of study. There's so much more we can focus on now that we don't need so many farmers or now that we don't need so many people to know how to build a house.

I know how to work a computer, and that's more than any pioneer could say!

A pioneer would know more than me when it comes to the things that most directly effect his life. The same goes for him. I know more about the things that most directly effect my life.

If you took a pioneer and threw him into the woods, he would probably understand how to survive much better than me since I don't live in the woods nor do I go into the woods very often. On the other hand, if you take someone who frequents the woods often in today's society, he probably knows more about the wilderness than the pioneer thanks to technology. He likely knows more about the animals and plants, how they interact with each other, and so on.
Thomas1st2
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Thomas1st2
1,943 posts
Peasant

I know how to work a computer, and that's more than any pioneer could say!


Yes but could'nt a pinoneer say that he could build a log cabin without big cranes and that he had no heating in the winter and could still survive. ONly around 4% of the Earth is still smart like they used to be the more technolgy the dumber we seem to get in my opion.
MageGrayWolf
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MageGrayWolf
9,462 posts
Farmer

Yes but could'nt a pinoneer say that he could build a log cabin without big cranes and that he had no heating in the winter and could still survive.


They did have heating, it was called fire. As pointed out most people don't know how to do things like build log cabins now because it's not necessary to know. Though comparatively the collective knowledge we do have access to is far greater. For another example your average pioneer would not have been able to read or write, or even preform math at the level of even our youngest members.

But if knowing how to build log cabins really is going to be your measurement of intelligence then...
http://www.ehow.com/log-cabin-building/
http://tinyhouseblog.com/log-construction/how-to-build-a-small-log-cabin/
Unlike our pioneer we literally have that information at our fingertips. All thanks to knowledge the pioneer wouldn't have dreamed of possessing.
NoNameC68
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NoNameC68
5,043 posts
Shepherd

Yes but could'nt a pinoneer say that he could build a log cabin without big cranes and that he had no heating in the winter and could still survive.


If pioneers were able to build structures such as this

http://i54.tinypic.com/210dt0y.jpg

without the use of cranes, then you would probably have a point.
kody08
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kody08
37 posts
Nomad

Yes, I believe Technology is a good thing, but I guess a bad thing too.

I don't have an example for bad technology, but here's one for good technology.

Computers, I mean really, what are we going to do without computers?

Ghgt99
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Ghgt99
1,890 posts
Nomad

Speaking of the Sydney Opera House, scientists made one with a laser that you need a microscope to see.

But seriously, I think technology is good up to a point. I mean we don't want to be overrun with robots like in the Matrix or the Terminator movies. =P

MageGrayWolf
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MageGrayWolf
9,462 posts
Farmer

I mean we don't want to be overrun with robots like in the Matrix or the Terminator movies. =P


Why always assume that if we give robots such abilities they would turn on us? I t would seem to me if we could build such an advanced robot we could just a easily end up with a bunch of Datas, Sonnys, or Andrew Martins as we would terminators, HALs, or Lores. Considering our concern with it I would even go as far to say we would be more likely to end up with the "good" robots who wish to co-exist, rather then the ones wanting to rule or destroy us.
HahiHa
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HahiHa
8,256 posts
Regent

But the 'good' kind of robots won't make films dramatic enough also, as humans, we probably tend to project our own thrive for conquer on imaginative robots.
Technology used to make exoskeletons and prostheses is surely a good thing, technology used to make all these useless iphones, ipads, ipod touch and all apps is not really necessary; I'm not saying it's bad, but really...

HahiHa
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HahiHa
8,256 posts
Regent

Wtf? What does an external shell-skeleton have to do with prostheses?

Exoskeletons to support a patient who is re-learning how to walk after paralysis. It is a long process and exoskeletons can be used to let the patient walk on the ground instead of on the treadmill with supports. I saw a small reportage about that not long ago..
jasonxtk
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jasonxtk
68 posts
Nomad

I have to admit I would probably be nothing without technology.

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