“Why you white men have so much cargo and we, New Guineans have so little?” Yali, a native from Papua New Guinea laid this conundrum at my feet as I watched the video, ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’ and it set me thinking of the disparity in levels of technological know-how between developed countries such as the US and (looking at the other end of the spectrum) Papua New Guinea.
A few reasons came to mind. Firstly, exposure to technology plays a huge factor. If the existence of such gadgets is not known, how could we expect people (tribesmen) to improve or work towards it? Largely overlooked as well is the next-in-line, comfort zone where the aborigines are simply contented with subsistence-based agriculture that they do not feel the need to seek more efficient ways of living. The third being geographic location/isolation. Albeit unfair, the residents have been living as a recluse since time immemorial, shut off from the changing times. As developed countries continue to prosper and evolve, these natives remain at subsistence level, resulting in the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Another topic discussed in class was the future of the human race. Exposed to sci-fi movies such as I, Robot and wall-E, a couple of apocalyptic scenarios are likely. For one, will we grow to be obese couch potatoes who will be too lazy to get out of the chair simply because tasks can be performed with a touch of a single button? Scarily, our future is seemingly approaching this dystopian nightmare. With increased levels of technology, it is easier for consumers to conveniently have take-outs from fast food outlets, compromising their health in the process. More so with the rampant spread of the media with advertisements of fast food franchise and their “finger-linkin’ good” or “I’m lovin’ it” slogans plaguing the world, it’s no wonder our modern day culture is so easily tempted by this ‘siren song’.
Article named Historic Innovation, Modern solutions.
1. What factors led to the Middle East becoming a major global centre of learning, science and technology a millennium ago (i.e. about 1000 years ago) while much of Europe was still in the midst of the “dark ages”?
· Science and technology flourished in the Middle East to a far greater extent than in the West.
· In the field of medicine, much of the knowledge developed by the Muslims was transmitted to the Europeans. Examples include mathematics, astronomy, medicine, pharmacology, optics, chemistry, botany, philosophy and physics.
2. How did the Middle East contribute to the renaissance in Europe? What factors brought about the renaissance?
· In the field of medicine, much of the knowledge developed by the Muslims was transmitted to the Europeans.
3. What useful lessons can we learn from the historical experience of the Middle East? How does the experience of the Middle East differ from that of the other great centre of knowledge and civilization around the same time, the middle kingdom (i.e. China)?
· The use of modern solutions to tackle problems.
· Unlike China, the Middle East had access to more sophisticated forms of technology.
Overall, I would like to rate this session 8/10. Perhaps, a suggestion I would like to proffer (that I would like to be addressed in class) would be to place more emphasis on the concept of Luddites/Neo-luddites. As defined by the oxford dictionary, a Luddite is a member of any of various bands of workers in England organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment. I was initially taken aback by this group of people and their way of life and this unusual set of beliefs. This set me chain of questions- what made them the way they are today? How will they adapt and keep up in the present fast-changing world? Will they ever break free from this stigma/misconception?
No comments:
Post a Comment