066 As people rely more and more on technology to solve prob

[foobarred]

Hey Sangfroid. Having read a few of your posts and this previous essay, I would like to point out that you sometimes use words incorrectly.

Here comes mine.... pls dissect it and assay it. Thanks a lot

Technology, a boon or a bane has always been a topic of dilemma and confusion amongst all of us.It is more akin to a juxtaposition of the view which one imagines when he is presented a glass half filled with water.
Some may see the glass half filled with water, on the contrary, others
may see it half-empty. But thinking rationally, both are correct in their
own positions. One who sees the glass half empty cannot be epitheted[no such word - epithet is a word, epitheted is not - use "labelled instead"] as
a pessimistic and the other as an optimistic.Both of them logical in their own
views.

Modern science and technology has bestowed upon up many elixirs of life that has made our life comfortable beyond our expectations. Today's technology
has a firm grasp in every sector of our life, whether it be the arena of medicine, entertainment, ease of life or even its longivitity.The same scions[wrong usage - "the same doesn't make sense here - it would have been "We, the scions"] of those who used to cogitate about the flatness of Earth today have been able to set foot on moon and have been the seer of most of the natural impending catastrophes.Is it not amazing to ponder about some astrounauts encircling around the Earth and sending the visual images from high above welkin[check usage, Im not sure about this but it should have been - from the welkin or of the welkin, not above the welkin] ?


Television, cell phones, wireless networks, internet have made our life too easy and to spend a day without these "Basic" accoutres[accoutre is a verb, accoutrement is the noun form] is completely hard to even imagine.One can know the activities going around in the other corner of the world in an iota of minute. GPS system; the revolution in the tracking system assists one to find his/her lost pet in few days. Discovery of penicillin, x-ray, surgery by the help of laser beams have made human life much more comfortable. One doesn't need to undergo painful surgery these days.Impaired and mangled limbs can be replaced with artificial ones. But if we spare some of our moment to flip the coin and peekaboo its other side,latest technologies also have left upon us some of the deficiencies. But if we scrutinize and cogitate a bit more,it is not the technology that has left upon us these things, but it is human being[s] itself[themselves] who have much more been inured and adhered to the latest developments and have recoiled from using their brain gifted by nature. Human being have been so much accostomed to the use of calculators and computers that they find it too abstruse even the simple mathematical calculations.As machines are replacing many of the human jobs, hardly do people think in more depth and use their brain.To verbatim the words of Einstein; he had said that genioushuman beings use only 10% of their brains. If it were the scenario at his epoch, the percentage of usage ;[should have used a comma here - i guess just a typo] needless to say, hasdeclined much more than that.

But saying so doesn't mean that technology has been the source of deterioration of human being.In fact,it is the technology that has obliged us to think more and discover more new things.There are people who still have penchant for manual calculation rather than the use of those silicon chips.So it is upon the person itself,in making prudent acts, in having preference ; wheter to use the gifts of nature or that of technology.So one cannot draw a line of decision purporting that technology has weakened the thinking capacity of human beings.

That said, you have good points to make and i liked your essay overall, although my views are contrary :-P.

Just be careful about usage and you should do well I guess.

[SangFroid]

Thanks a million foobarred,..i too realized it later

[nirmalar]

Will machines spawned by human’s technological advances leave our cognitive faculties obsolete? The author, in asserting that the increased reliance on technological innovations will irrevocably diminish human race’s self-thinking capacity, fails to consider that the machines are not yet capable of solving all problems that face our human race.



Modern age’s technological advances and its consequences are nothing more than a natural progression of human evolution – man overcoming the obstacles in the environs by his brain and brawn. For the invention of a washing machine or a computer to do our day-to-day jobs faster is not much different from the invention of tools or wheel to make our ancestors’ life easier. The comforts and the time gained from such advances, in turn, have been paramount in making important scientific discoveries that helped us eradicate epidemics, increase life expectancy. In a way, technology in helping us to solve our not-so-simulating problems, have fostered our capability in solving more important issues.



While it is true that today modern technological innovations free us from menial jobs, the machines are no where near replacing our brains. Even the most automatic machines are not ‘mind readers’ – they require you to make numerous choices as to how to do the job. For instance, even a 10-cycle washing machine needs you to tell the cloth types and other washing settings before it can do the tiresome job for you. And ‘all knowing, all thinking’ computers are still a myth. Computers like Deep Blue can beat a man at chess, by virtue of its ‘number-crunching’ ability and to plan huge number move of moves ahead, but not by virtue of its ‘intuitive capability’. Moreover, as any programmer would know, the computers cannot program themselves, they need humans to do these.



Furthermore, technology can take us only so far. While it can help us fight physical diseases, it cannot give us a solution to our social issues. Machines cannot help us overcome our prejudices or reconcile our religious beliefs. Neither can they tell us the best way to govern a nation or implement policies. They can predict natural disasters but not the human suffering or the empathy that follows it. And, definitely, it cannot make up my mind for me in deciding whether or not machines make my thinking obsolete. Surely, all the social, cultural and humane issues abound would definitely keep our brains on toes?



Although, today’s machines make our life much easier, the technological advances, even in this modern age, are limited in their problem-solving capabilities and are not a threat to our thinking capacity.

[manasi4gre]

Will machines spawned by human’s technological advances leave our cognitive faculties obsolete? The author, in asserting that the increased reliance on technological innovations will irrevocably diminish human race’s self-thinking capacity, fails to consider that the machines are not yet capable of solving all problems that face our human race.

Nirmala,

In issue essays, one is expected to support a particular stance on a given topic and articulate it. Your intro here gives the impression of an argument where we dispute the claim of the writer/speaker. So make the intro a generalised one and then state condensingly what u support and why.

Modern age’s technological advances and its consequences are nothing more than a natural progression of human evolution – man overcoming the obstacles in the environs by his brain .

You can replace brain and brawn with mental faculty and physical strength.

For the invention of a washing machine or a computer to do our day-to-day jobs faster is not much different from the invention of tools or wheel to make our ancestors’ life easier. The comforts and the time gained from such advances, in turn, have been paramount in making important scientific discoveries that helped us eradicate epidemics, increase life expectancy. In a way, technology in helping us to solve our not-so-simulating problems, have fostered our capability in solving more important issues.

You have nice ideas but they seem to lack connectivity and co-relation. You can start with the invention of the wheel and then end with the washing machine to present your view clearly.

While it is true that today modern technological innovations free us from menial jobs, the machines are no where near replacing our brains. Even the most automatic machines are not ‘mind readers’ – they require you to make numerous choices as to how to do the job. For instance, even a 10-cycle washing machine needs you to tell the cloth types and other washing settings before it can do the tiresome job for you. And ‘all knowing, all thinking’ computers are still a myth. Computers like Deep Blue can beat a man at chess, by virtue of its ‘number-crunching’ ability and to plan huge number move of moves ahead, but not by virtue of its ‘intuitive capability’. Moreover, as any programmer would know, the computers cannot program themselves, they need humans to do these.

Good examples.

Furthermore, technology can take us only so far. (remove this)
One one hand, while it has helped us in combating physical diseases, it has no clear solution to our social issues. Machines cannot help us overcome our prejudices or reconcile our religious beliefs. Neither can they tell us the best way to govern a nation or implement policies.

I don't think comparision with social or religious beliefs or convictions is pertinent with the topic.
However, to explain your above mentioned point meaningfully you could say that only when machines succeed in explaining such complex issues, can they fully substitute the thinking of the human mind.

They can predict natural disasters but not the human suffering or the empathy that follows it.

Good reasoning.

And, definitely, it cannot make up my mind for me in deciding whether or not machines make my thinking obsolete. Surely, all the social, cultural and humane issues abound would definitely keep our brains on toes?

You could use some finer language here.

Although, today’s machines make our life much easier, the technological advances, even in this modern age, are limited in their problem-solving capabilities and are not a threat to our thinking capacity.

You have stated your view clearly. Summarizing some of your main points once again would make the conclusion emphatic.

Good luck!
Manasi

[nirmalar]

Thanks manasi for the comments.

This was my first draft and I didn't bother to go through it once more and reorganize it.

About the mention of social issues - I guess I was not clear enough in expressing my ideas: I was arguing that while machines can imitate some of our physical skills and mathematical or calculating capability, they can not replace our cognitive skills that help us be part of a society or community - taking a side in an issue, to be more tolerant of other beliefs/religions.

-Nirmala.