As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take In

The statement linking technology negatively with free thinking plays on recent human
experience over the past century. Surely there has been no time in history where the
lived lives of people have changed more dramatically. A quick reflection on a typical
day reveals how technology has revolutionized the world. Most people commute to
work in an automobile that runs on an internal combustion engine. During the
workday, chances are high that the employee will interact with a computer that
processes information on silicon bridges that are .09 microns wide. Upon leaving
home, family members will be reached through wireless networks that utilize satellites
orbiting the earth. Each of these common occurences would have been inconceivable
at the turn of the 19th century.
The statement attempts to bridge these dramatic changes to a reduction in the
ability for humans to think for themselves. The assumption is that an increased reliance
on technology negates the need for people to think creatively to solve previous
quandaries. Looking back at the introduction, one could argue that without a car,
computer, or mobile phone, the hypothetical worker would need to find alternate
methods of transport, information processing, and communication. Technology short
circuits this thinking by making the problems obsolete.
However, this reliance on technology does not necessarily preclude the creativity
that marks the human species. The prior examples reveal that technology allows for
convenience. The car, computer, and phone all release additional time for people to
live more efficiently. This efficiency does not preclude the need for humans to think for
themselves. In fact, technology frees humanity to not only tackle new problems, but
may itself create new issues that did not exist without technology. For example, the
proliferation of automobiles has introduced a need for fuel conservation on a global
scale. With increasing energy demands from emerging markets, global warming
becomes a concern inconceivable to the horse-and-buggy generation. Likewise
dependence on oil has created nation-states that are not dependent on taxation,
allowing ruling parties to oppress minority groups such as women. Solutions to these
complex problems require the unfettered imaginations of maverick scientists and
politicians.
In contrast to the statement, we can even see how technology frees the human
imagination. Consider how the digital revolution and the advent of the internet has
allowed for an unprecedented exchange of ideas. WebMD, a popular internet portal for
medical information, permits patients to self research symptoms for a more informed
doctor visit. This exercise opens pathways of thinking that were previously closed off
to the medical layman. With increased interdisciplinary interactions, inspiration can
arrive from the most surprising corners. Jeffrey Sachs, one of the architects of the UN
Millenium Development Goals, based his ideas on emergency care triage techniques.
The unlikely marriage of economics and medicine has healed tense, hyperinflation
environments from South America to Eastern Europe.
This last example provides the most hope in how technology actually provides hope
to the future of humanity. By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible goals
can now be achieved. Consider how the late 20th century witnessed the complete
elimination of smallpox. This disease had ravaged the human race since prehistorical
days, and yet with the technology of vaccines, free thinking humans dared to imagine a
world free of smallpox. Using technology, battle plans were drawn out, and smallpox
was systematically targeted and eradicated.
Technology will always mark the human experience, from the discovery of fire to the
implementation of nanotechnology. Given the history of the human race, there will be
no limit to the number of problems, both new and old, for us to tackle. There is no
need to retreat to a Luddite attitude to new things, but rather embrace a hopeful
posture to the possibilities that technology provides for new avenues of human
imagination.