Text 766, 137 rader
Skriven 2006-05-25 17:44:00 av Robert E Starr JR (1212.babylon5)
Ärende: Re: Do we need artificial
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* * * This message was from Dennis \(Icarus\) to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.m * *
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"Arlen Roy Kundert" <arkofthekundert@juno.com> wrote in message
news:1148551889.915026.245130@j73g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
<snip>
>
> And that is largely what I'm advocating.
>
> To put more context that here is a copy of a short report I did for my
> Instructor at ITT Tech on "The Impact of Technology on Society"
>
>
> >> "O brave new world that has such people in't!" If William Shakespeare
had lived to see the world of today, I doubt very much he would can coined
that phrase.
>
>      It is a great sadness that we as a society have come so far in our
> understanding of the universe and our advancements in technology, yet
> we have made so little progress as humans. Allow me to start in the
> beginning.
>
>      Almost regardless of what personal belief system you belong to
> (creation, evolution, mysticism, etc) it is generally accepted that
> what we today call "modern society" started off much more primitive
> and savage (so we like to tell ourselves).
>
>      As we "advanced" technologically as a people, we have not
> taken care to develop a sense of responsibility for the power that has
> come with each new paradigm in technology. By way of example take
> gunpowder. Gunpowder can be used to help with mining, preparing to
> build a dam, many other non-lethal uses. However it is no secret what
> gunpowder is most often used for, guns.

Guns which can be used for criminal activity, and....more importabtly, to
defend oneself from criminals as well.

>
>      The real problem is that mankind's moral technological
> advancements devolved in advance of our moral evolution. To make a
> point for comparison, we are like a three year old child with our
> father's hand gun. No where is this more true then in the misuse of
> the internet.
>
>      The internet has allowed for the most unacceptable abuse of
> children that we as a people have ever seen. Once child pornography was
> something that extremely hard and dangerous to get a hold of. Now with
> the misuse of the internet the most depraved people can get access to
> it with a great deal of anonymity. This has provided a new venue for an
> already out of control problem.

So it'd seem that the kids were already being abused.
Since these images, movies, etc apperar just as bytes (information) to the
Internet, how can one have a medium for free exchange of information, yet
restrict this?

>
>      My argument is not that technology is in of itself evil, we have
> just have gone too far, too fast, whereas our morals are just now
> leaving the gate. We need to slow down and learn accountability for
> where we are as a people.

And I think the vast majority of people have greater morals than you're
giving 'em credit for.

>
>      It is because of this (our technological advancement vs. our moral
> advancement) that I believe we are really less advanced then our
> ancestors. They had ignorance as an excuse, what do we have? Also
> remember, the most important question of all have not found any real
> answers through technology: Who are we? Why are we here? Where do we
> come from? Where are we going?<<

What do you want? (oops...not supposed to ask that question)
Do you have anything worth living for?

<snip>
>
> First, the idea of putting a man on Mars is a very romantic notion,
> it's almost as romantic  as Christopher Columbus going to America (and
> I'm not trying to play the straw man game, I know the "Christopher
> Columbus" parallele is my making, not yours). But what is gained from a
> man being on Mars right now?

Think of it as a unifying goal.
One value of the ISS is that it does nicely demonstrate the cooperation
between countries.
After all, when the shuttle fleet was grounded....who's been providing
supplies?
Russia, via the Soyuz capsules.

>
> And again make no mistake, if "warp drive" gets here in my life time,
> hay take me to the stars. But right now we can safely send as I stated,
> unmanned probes out into space, and still learn a whole heck of a lot.

We won't go from where we are now to warp drive without a whole lot of
incremental steps.
The research into different propulsion systems to make getting to Mars
easier would help get us there.

>
> But secondly let address your point about "human drive". Let me ask
> you, don't think our "drive" has also come at a bit of a price because
> we haven't stopped now and then to say "Gee, I wonder what will happen
> one hundred years down the road if we do this...?" Global warming
> anyone? But I agree that our "drive" is a large part of what makes us
> human, but you know what else makes us human? Our ability to take
> accountability for our actions and mistake (unlike animals) and to
> *CARE FOR* and do something about the suffering of the impoverished.

And we have done, are doing, and will continue to do something about the
suffering of the impovrished.

>
> How can we with a clear conscience feel that we are advancing as humans
> because we are reaching to the stars when men, women, and children die
> every day simply because they don't have enough food?

How  many do you think died of the same cause during the development of,
say, the Internet?

>
> I'm *NOT* blaming this on NASA, or on the wish to put a man on Mars.
> What I am really advocating is this; Social advancement has *NOTHING*
> to do with technology, but has *EVERYTHING* to do with accountability.
>
>

Dennis
                      
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