Technology & Evolution

Our world is run by technology and there is no denying the fact. It has changed almost every facet of our lives. It changed the way we learn, the way we communicate, the way we live and in some cases even changed the way we die. At a less dramatic level, it also changed what we wear and what we eat.

The evolution of civil society (civilization is so old school now) has morphed into an entirely different society than what other early civilizations may have imagined for. From early civilizations like the stone or metal ages (origins traced to Africa & Asia) to antiquity or axial ages (Asia and parts of Europe) to medieval (discovery age, Latin America) to Industrial or Modern age (Europe and Americas), there has been a constant growth, and evolution of the human society. Almost all pre-modern ages focused, on culture and arts, thereby developing human faculties.

Industrial and now Digital age or the computer age, is yet another step towards evolution. However the question that always comes to my mind is – Is technology really helping us evolve?

Professor George Patton from Australia's Royal Children's Hospital's Center for Adolescent Health was quoted (per Stuff.con.nz) as saying, "During those teenage years when the brain is in a very active phase of development and learning to process information about relationships and emotions, there's a concern that these kids are actually going to be wired differently in the future, given the malleability of brains at that age. They may grow accustomed to, and be more comfortable with, the kinds of relationships that happen in this electronic space".

Well, that is an expert’s view and so far the medical fraternity is divided on whether technology driven life has the ability to rewire our brain in terms of understanding, emotions, relationships and cultural values.

I have a much more simple and crude ways of looking at things. I believe that if things cannot be supported qualitatively, then no amount of data can justify it quantitatively. The data should only tell what, when, where and how of things. Why of things is a different ball game all together.

Let me put my random arguments together and would love rants with logical explanations.

Animal domestication was once seen as a hall mark of human evolution. Understanding the animal behavior and creating a supportive and mutually beneficial Eco system by genetically altering the animal behavior. Americans still love their dogs and vice-versa and Indian still treat Cow as holy. The feelings towards the 4 legged been reinforced over centuries.

However, I digress. Let’s come back.

When was the last time an animal has been domesticated in recent history?  As per Wikipedia, the most recent effort has been in 1980’s to domesticate a skunk in US, which by the way, is more like taming rather than domestication. It is not even legal in most US states and wherever it is legal; the scent glands are surgically removed, not genetically modified.

All the technology in the world has not helped create more supportive eco system for co-existence of new animals in human society. I would not call zoo, a co-existence. I am more easily convinced that domestication is a dying art if not a dead art already.

What about languages?

Well now the world has J2EE, C++, Dot Net and what not and any sane human in touch of technology would have heard the terms, and ironically still rely on languages of pre-modern cultures for all communication. Modern humans have so far have only are able to generate languages that machines can understand. Braille and may be a few others can be considered a step towards human evolution but remember even Braille has been in existence before the so called industrial age.

Art?

The so called Modern art has its roots traced to late 19th century with earlier evidences - 1863 to be precise!

Cultural critics started calling early 1980’s as the “the end of painting” - A provocative and may be a touch sensitive essay by Douglas crimp. Neo-expressionism emerged in 1970, Figurative art is getting a new identity in re-birth and new-media art practitioners are termed, analysts and not artists. And the roots of new media art as a genre, in spite of leaps and bounds of development in technology in the last 20 years, are still traced to photographic inventions or “Homage to New York”. Even though, art is alive, any attempt at a “different” art fall flat and does not survive beyond the fad and fashion state.

May be Health?

Probably the only area, where technology can claim to have made real strides into benefiting humans, however with a caveat: years of potential lives lost – a measure to quantify burdens of diseases regards only 37% to be directly related to infectious and parasitic diseases. The other staggering 63% of diseases’ major components being 14% motor vehicles related accidents, another 14% to heart attack / stroke increased primarily to the sedentary life style and stress in the last 10 years, approx 2% to depression and 19% to premature deaths & cancer. Most of the good work undone by other technological related / influenced forces, or no real strides for non-infectious disease category.

Peace – controversial

Many countries would have led you believe on the policy of nuclear deterrent, efforts to maintain freedom and peace across borders, however there are two ills that are associated with military and makes it far more dangerous – sophisticated and devastating weaponry including bio-weapons and swift, several and clandestine modes of transportation and communication, both of which can lead to havoc. World peace...Rest in peace.

I am sure many of my readers may not agree with me…however gone are the days when it was just simple to agree to disagree and wait to think. Do not get me wrong, the idea is not to say, technology doesn’t help. It does and makes impossible, possible. However, the reliance on technology for all matters big & small after all results in instant gratification and instant things are just that…gone in an instant.