As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reason

In this day and age, drivers no longer put in the effort and time to read maps, and rely on the GPS for navigation. Mathematics students can easily compute exam questions using a calculator instead of performing laborious manual calculations. At a cursory glance of the modern society, it is easy to conclude that the human’s increasing dependency on technology will gradually diminish our ability to think for ourselves. However, in a broader picture, it is irrefutable that the human mind is behind every technological advancement, and each innovation has opened opportunities and provided tools for the people to gain intellectual insights and think beyond the amazing technologies that already exist. Our reliance on technology need not impede our thinking abilities; It can in fact push us to augment our intellectual capabilities through the benefits it brings.

Since innovative technologies are created by humans, arguing that the population’s intellectual potential is deteriorating due to an increasing reliance on technology would be implying that the technologies being created are decreasing in quality and quantity. On the contrary, technologies have been advancing at a never before seen pace over the past decades and each new product is better than its antecedent. The introduction of cell phones had a remarkable impact on society, where people were no longer confined to their homes in order to communicate with one another. Continuous improvements have been made to the device and it now takes the form of a smart phone that can be used to play music, and browse the internet among many other functions. Never before have we had access to so many tools that can expand our knowledge at the touch of a screen. The rise of smart phones is only a peek into the development of artificial intelligence systems that will be able to perform human tasks. Although technology simplifies human life, it pushes people to relentlessly explore our intellectual potential to create the next big invention.

Aside from electronic devices, the introduction of transportation means such as airplanes also connects the world together and promotes the dissemination of knowledge. Professionals in similar fields can now gather from across the globe to discuss scientific findings, pressing matters and share their expertise. By interconnecting the educated crowd from different countries, cultures and backgrounds, the people can look at a problem through myriad points of views and work together to figure out the next innovative step in their field.

Not only does technology allow for intellectual growth, it also saves time. From a scientific point of view, the time it takes to perform experiments and research have decreased drastically due to cutting-edge technology. This effect is readily seen in the field of medicine, where traditional research on genes implicated in diseases were limited to the use of animal models. Animal experiments may take months to complete, and require numerous repetitions to validate results. With the advent of whole genome sequencing, scientists can now map all of the genes in a disease model in the matter of hours, and compare the results to control models in order to identify the genes pertinent to the disease. With the increased efficacy, scientist can spend more time and energy on ultimately translating their findings into clinical applications by answering questions such as whether the gene is relevant in humans, if drugs can be synthesized to target it, and test the drugs in model organisms.

Certainly the rise of technology has allowed for the society’s increasing dependence on it, which in many everyday life circumstances may diminish the need to think for ourselves. However, when it comes to higher level intellectual thinking, advanced technology has only pushed us to think at a greater pace and surpass our previous innovations. In fact, it can be argued that without technology usage and the tools it provides, it may prove to be difficult for the people to think pass what they already know.