Is technology the solution or the cause of many problems?

1. 61

   Ron Thinksposted 15 years ago

   Is technology offering solutions to our problems or is it creating more problems?

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Poppa Bluesposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Both. Everything has a benefit as well as a downside. Fire can keep you warm, but it can also be destructive and the smoke can hurt your lungs. Cars can get us from one place to another faster, but they cause pollution and can kill people in crashes. Chemo can send your cancer into remission and save your life but it can also harm your immune system and cause your death. What's important is to know the trade-offs and to have the freedom to decide for yourself whether to use a given technology or not.

      replyreport
      1. 74

         livewithrichardposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Well said!

         replyreport
   2. 60

      Greg Cremiaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      yup

      replyreport
2. 60

   Dgerrimeaposted 15 years ago

   That's such a general question that the only reasonable answer seems to be 'both'.

   replyreport
   1. 69

      Rod Marsdenposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      This is true. It is both. This is why we have to look at solutions very carefully.
      
      
      

      replyreport
3. 60

   mel22posted 15 years ago

   Most technology was fine until they created the H bomb. I suppose afterwards they made up for it by producing nuclear power  but the threat of the bomb is always there. Its not the technology that creates the problem its the user ,who abuses the technology that creates the problem. I suppose the first gunpowder was probably used in fireworks but eventually went to use in cannons or guns. its all the user and what he does with it.

   replyreport
   1. 69

      Rod Marsdenposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      The industrial revolution of the 19th Century came about as a stop gap measure for increases in Western population due to the use of better medicines and less warfare. Due to technological advancements fewer people were required to farm the land. Something had to be done for them and with them. The development of factories to employ more and more people seemed to be the solution. With factories, however, came a whole set of new problems including more concentrated forms of pollution. And here we are, in the 21st Century looking at technology to get us out of this mess.
      
      One of the things the H bomb did was limit war and the possibility of war reducing population density without, at the same time, destroying usable land. Agent orange in Vietnam destroyed for decades a lot of what was once farming land so, no matter how many people were killed by it, there was nil advantage to the land and thus the planet.
      
      Yes. the first gunpowder was used for fireworks. there are early reports in China about its use. Also it was the Chinese who first used firecrackers as a means of scaring the hell out of enemy horses. The West developed the cannon and eventually the modern day firearm.     
      
      

      replyreport
4. 61

   Ron Thinksposted 15 years ago

   Great answers guys! I agree that users are the ones responsible for tipping technology from being a solution to being the problem. On a small scale, most computer problems can be solved by searching the internet. But most computer problems are caused by viruses/malware programs found on the internet.

   replyreport
5. 67

   Mishaposted 15 years ago

   neither. ignorance is the problem, and reducing ignorance is the solution

   replyreport
   1. 79

      Urbane Chaosposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Misha, well said..
      
      You know what they say, ignorance is bliss..
      
      There's a lot of extremely happy people in this world.

      replyreport
6. 80

   Shil1978posted 15 years ago

   I'd say both. Technology has given us solutions to many problems, however it has also created new problems for us. We have so many tech-related problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused due to excessive use of computers.
   
   Also, all sorts of pains brought on by having us sit in front of computers for hours on end, for which our bodies weren't designed for!!
   
   While technology has made our lives much easier, it has also caused problems for the environment, just to mention one example! So, well, there have been positives and negatives!!!

   replyreport
7. 68

   Peter Hogganposted 15 years ago

   Misha, beautifully put!

   replyreport
8. 48

   curioxatposted 15 years ago

   Good question. I would say it is both, it has transformed the way we work and communicate but it is such a headache when it stops working for you. I've started using reimage.com to clean my PC every so often and I've definitely had much less trouble since!

   replyreport
9. 60

   dish_networkposted 15 years ago

   technology is more solution oriented, but it also creates problem.

   replyreport