Are we self-destructing ?.." technology has exceeded our humanity."?

Question

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Answer 1

Our humanity is not based on technology. Were we not human before we had technology? Technology does not define us as human beings.

One cannot deny that technology has made our lives easier and in some cases, better. We are becoming increasingly reliant on technology to do things for us that we would normally be able to do for ourselves.

Not all technology is bad, but is all technology good? Why then, in the 20th and 21st Century, when we were/ are at our most technologically advanced were/are we also at our most depraved and at our most violent? If technology is evidence of a more humane, civilised and intelligent society why are there more wars than ever, more violence than ever?

"Technology holds that all the important problems facing human civilisation are technical, and that therefore they are all soluble on the basis of existing knowledge or readily attainable knowledge - if sufficient resources are made available." - Crick, "In Defense Of Politics"

How did the human race survive before we had all this technology? Instead of technology being a tool for us to use it has become a doctrine, an ideaology - a religion to some.

We no longer control it - it controls us. Need proof? Look at your life and how technology affects it. Try taking some of those things away and see what happens.

Because there is a need for something doesn't justify it's existence. And how often have we as humans not taken some of the most amazing advances in technology and perverted it into weapons of mass destruction, tools of harm, ideas of hate?

Yes, I do think our technology has exceeded our humanity, so much so that people cannot view themselves as human if technology is not present. But we were human before technology and if technology should cease to exist we will still be human.

We are not the Borg.

Answer 2

Of course we are. We have advanced technologically so fast that we as humans are left in the dust. Our intelligence has propelled, although i somehow doubt that when i see the things going on in our world, faster than our understanding has advanced. In our heart, in our compassion we are not advanced at all. We do not nderstand the beasts that we have created. We cannot tame those monsters anymore. I am not speaking of he technological monsters, but the procedures, the customs that we have put in place. In our thinking we are still animals driven by some VERY low instincts. Greed, lust, hate, revenge to name a few. e haven't learned to overcome those and despite our advancing intelligence, i doubt we will ever.

This world is doomed, and i doubt that we will survive the next 200 years. The crimes we commit against nature will be paid for dearly. Earth has a way to react and it did it before. It reacts slow, but with a might man cannot tame. Global warming is a fact, despite what the Bush junta says. It will kill mankind on a large scale. It did it before and it will do it again. In 650 - 750 a.d. there has been a super-el-nino that has killed large populations in today's Peru. People couldn't cope with the climate changes anymore no matter how hard they tried. The crops failed, animals died and subsequently man did too. In today's world the effects of such natural disasters would have an effect of cataclysmic scale. If we continue to disregard earth and embrace nothing but technology and profits, then Einstein will remain true.

Answer 3

It's quite simple. With a material vision we employed the idea of non-contradiction. This we named science and it is not responsible for the insights which have brought the most profound changes in our understanding of what appears to be a material reality. Our inquiring minds did this. Science just confirmed the truth certain minds found. Science applied in the real world has no guidelines which is to say the material vision is an incorrect vision leaving out the essential reality which guides action (us). The result, because of our unfortunately scientifc and wrong approach, is action with out any legitimate source of guidance. We excluded ourselves from the scientific view and turned to God and Sowcratees, you will loves this, God defaulted and left us to write the Bible, the Koran the Bahagvagita’s etc. Obviously, we were not very coordinated or our short hand was not up to the task. It is, after all, hard writing on stone that fast and our memory is so weak. That He just did not write the same thing in every language on acid free naturally tanned leather bound parchment makes no sense unless you are a... well, an antidisestablimentarianist.

Answer 4

WE might, but a new day is coming where the old ways will again become the norm. If this change (which is beginning but must be slow) happens soon enough, then the earth will again be immportant and women will be revered, meaning man's constant need of money and power will decrease and the people will not self-destruct.

otherwise.......yes, self destruction, followed by around two thousand years of tribal life, until the next enlightenment

Answer 5

Einstein said that about the Atomic Weapons, so in that case he is justifiable.

However, technology has always been seen as a threat by people. The Luddites of England were just the first and it continues towards this day.

All i think is, Mechanisation has allowed us to conquer disease, rapidly multiply and become masters of our own destiny.

Vive La Machine!

Answer 6

I welcome a war to kill off humans .we have about destroyed this world. we are parasites. on the face of this earth. god help us. all.nukes would be great / any way at all would be a good way to get these humans off this world.I pray for a killer virus. that will kill us off and we can go back to a simpler time with far less humans and technology/

Answer 7

think about it this way...metaphorically speaking...
a blood cell = a person
all the blood cells in body = humanity
specialized cells make body parts(tissues/organs) = engineers
all these parts doing their job to keep the body functioning...unknowingly of course...they do not possess the capacity to comprehend their actions on such a scale.We as humans do what we do as individuals...but it is human nature(compared to a cells function) to build and expand...i think the earth as a human body...once it dies...and it will...it will be reborn all over again....

Answer 8

Well, if it was not for "technology", we might not have our humanity. Stop and think about it.