TWC Session 2

Any form of technological advancement has its inherent danger as well as benefits to the world at large. This is the most compelling takeaway from the lesson and presentation by fellow classmates today. Throughout history, it seems to me that who ever was more advanced in technology (and innovation) had the advantage to dominate over those who wasn’t.

In my reading of “The Colonial Holocaust and its legacy” and the viewing of the teaching materials regarding the dominance of the British Empire over their colonies, it all demonstrated the essence of the expression, “Survival of the fittest”. In the conquest for more land, more resources and more wealth, the weak was brutally exploited and systematically destroyed. In that respect, humans were no different from animals

The info-graphics video earlier in the lesson presented by Hans Rosling illustrated the fact that countries which suffered from the colonial rule previously had had a tough time picking up in terms of making a difference in their growth and overall life-expectancy. It shows that, it is only the free that can make good decisions for themselves and their development.

In today’s context, violence and violation of human rights are also prevalent with the aid of technology. These take forms in wars, crimes, forced labour, exploitation etc. It seems like, where there are humans, there will be struggle for power and wealth. It got me thinking whether it is necessary to exploit others (or the environment) for our own gains in order to progress because history and current situations have shown that technological advancement is driven by our selfish desire to dominate, whether in the battlefield or market place.

That aside, it is heartening to know that developed countries have pledged to bring developing countries to the forefront and help ease the issue of poverty in those places through the Millennium Development Goal. As I learned today, especially after watching the video “History of the world in 7 minutes”, the rate of innovation is increasing exponentially and knowledge changes rapidly as the world progresses. Then what will happen to the countries that have not kept up to date? I foresee that they will be left even further behind leading to more suffering and deterioration of these societies.

It is up to us, ones who are privileged and have the freedom to make choices, to make the world a better place for the less fortunate. Even if we don’t help them, at least we can make the choice to not harm them. As Dalai Lama said, “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

I think technology should advance in a direction where there is a focus in benefiting the world at large and imparting know-hows to the ones in need. With that in mind, as we  progress economically, there will also be a progress in our humanity and awareness. This is what today’s lesson is about – Human Development.

I was hoping for the lesson to cover more about how technology can be harnessed to enable a more well-balanced world not just growth of countries in economic power, but also growth in spirituality (not religion) and humanity (awareness of the plight of the world). These issues deserve more air-time for discussion because the world seems to be fixated on innovation for the purpose of benefiting economically and keeping up with global competition. Maybe in the lessons in the future, such areas would be covered. I will rate the lesson today to be 8/10  for the thought-provoking and enlightening content shared with and amongst the students.

TWC Session 1

My expectation prior to this class was that I would be learning a lot about applying technology-related skills into our work; mostly the methodological and inanimate things that involve the internet, gadgets and whatnots. After having a preview of the course during the first lesson, I knew that whatever assumptions that I had with regards to the term “technology”, I had to put them aside. This class is about people.

I realised that I am attending a highly interesting and intellectually stimulating class that covers topic from history to anthropology to social science. I foresee every lesson to be a story telling session where we will be transported through time and space to learn from the historical perspectives of technology, the current advances in technology and the impact future technology will bring to our civilisation.

This course is basically for us to investigate how our human race has evolved over time with our shifting demands and innovations. This course is also about predicting technological trends and identifying strategies that modern mankind has designed to meet our ever-changing and complex needs. Shift really happens and change is the only constant in life, and when one decides that he knows everything about the world, he is bound to be left behind.

An example brought up in class was during the medieval times (dark ages), intellectual, scientific and economic regression took place because people were hung up over religion and superstition. People almost never questioned the church and they seldom innovate, which led to a decline of the arts and sciences, thankfully until the renaissance period where revolutions were made in the fields of art and science. Another example brought up by Prof Shahi was the decline of China in the 19th Century because of their closed-doors policy which separated itself from the rest of the world. The Manchu people thought that they were invincible and did not have the mindset of innovation. When fighting against the westerners who had guns and explosives, the Manchu people were still using ancient cannons and outdated weapons. This mainly brought the fall of the Qing Dynasty. My first take away was plainly, “To stay hungry”, and never be satisfied with the status quo.

We watched a video on the the book, Guns, Germs and Steel where we were probed to think of why have some societies been able to come up with great technology and wealth while others remain relatively backward. There could be several reasons for this (evolution of mankind, geographical location, advancement of ancient civilisation), but what struck as most compelling to me is that while innovation and technology can be used to benefit mankind by realising our needs, it can also be used to take advantage of others and enable destruction.

Fire can be used to cook our meals and keep us warm, but can also be used for arson and crimes. Similarly, what can be used to help mankind might just be the thing that can destroy us. So, is technology good or bad? I think this question deserves airtime for debate. In my opinion, innovation is inevitable because of our ever changing landscape and demands and is good as long as it brings about a well-balanced and progressive society.

Our intention to innovate should come from the place of wanting to help people through a eco-friendly and sustainable manner, not to victimise others and exploit the earth’s resources. Hence, balance and moderation are essential in this respect to prevent waste and destruction.

All in all, lesson was engaging and thoughtful, my curiosity for the changes of the world was piqued and Prof Shahi had successfully kept us interested in this topic by his story-sharing. I look forward to the subsequent lessons and hope to learn just as much, or even more.

Rating 7/10