“Google it.” This phrase is one of
the most repeated in the entire English language. I hear it on a daily basis.
Computers, phones, and technology everywhere are becoming very powerful, and
the developments are only increasing in speed. It is a very good societal question
that Nicholas Carr addresses in “Is Google Making us Stupid?” Is technology
good or bad for the advancement of human society? For me, the pros of the
advanced technology far outweigh the cons.
Technology is quickly becoming the
glue that holds our world together. People call each other on cell phones. They
use electronic calendars. Even digital books are gradually library books. These
all allow the transfer of knowledge to happen more quickly. Instead of going
into a building or using the nearest phone booth, a person can pull out their
cell phone and dial a number as quickly as they want to. Smartphones often come
with calendar apps, so replacing a paper calendar every year and remembering to
turn the pages becomes a thing of the past. The production of digital books
saves trees as no paper is required. No longer do we have to wait for our local
libraries to obtain a book. We can just buy it online.
Carr brings up his fear that
machines will soon be doing more thinking than humans will. I disagree with
this statement. He mentions that when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing
press, it caused some people to denounce it as demeaning to the intelligence of
men. This technology rendered the writing of books by hand obsolete. It was a
new invention, but society became more advanced along with it. I believe that
the same thing is happening today. The printing press was rendered obsolete,
and now new computers constantly render old ones obsolete. I believe that the
human mind is evolving along with these new machines. New research is
constantly used to produce greater and greater technology. The mind of a human
invents every new development in the technology world. The development of the
human mind is linked with the development of technology and they will continue
to develop at the same pace.
Sam, I completely agree with you that the pros of advanced technology outweigh the cons. Your point about the importance technology, specifically smart phones, have in our lives really stuck with me. It's evident that we simply don't have the time for old fashion ways of doing things, and smart phones are becoming the faster and better replacement. I also believe that the human mind is evolving with machines and technology, so the idea of a technological takeover with artificial thinking seems slightly far fetched.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post, Sam. I must say though, at the expense of being rude, wouldn't there be a good part of keeping books? Yes, they use trees, and yes, trees are only slightly important to our survival(sarcasm), but books can have just as much merit as an Internet source. I personally love physically holding the information I'm taking in, rather than just looking on the screen for it. It's a comfort thing. Eventually perhaps, books may die and fade away, but I hope I am not alive to see that. As poet John Milton once said, "He who destroys a good book destroys reason itself."
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