【Flyer小组习作】Issue88-7.10

MaryWongUID: 2619999

TOPIC: ISSUE88 - "Technologies not only influence but actually determine social customs and ethics."


For modern people, it is easy to find that the ever-progress technology more and more impact us human being. Thus I have the agreement with the speaker that technologies influence customs and ethics of society. However, the speaker's assertion seems too extreme to conclude the determination function of technologies in the social customs and ethics.

Nowadays there are many cases and phenomenon which can not be imagined by ancients taking place every moment in our modern society. Not anyone could argue that technologies which are almost harvest fruit of scientists' invention indeed influence many aspects of our life. Merchants, engineers, as well as students check their email at first when they get home or workplace. By communicating with friends or companions overseas through Internet people today magically eliminate the far distance between different continents. The popularity of mobile phones and MP3 enables people to talk by phone wherever they are and students especially teenagers could sing R&B after their idols on the way home. Certainly, the effect which brought by technologies to our society could not be fully descript since technologies have become a dispensable part of our life.

Along with so much influent taken by technologies, is it to say that technologies determine any respects of our customs and ethics? Admittedly, in our modern social communities, there have appeared some problems referring to ethics and custom which not exist without technologies. Consider, for instance, the gene testing and the test of the gender of fetus. Progress in life science entitle people the ability to exam one's gene, which often be used to provide critical evidence of the correlation between parents and children. Without this technology, nobody would be confused by the ethical problem induced by this advanced technique. Because the negative result of genetic examination may lead to abruption of family and firm relationship of close friends, and even threaten the safety and harmony of the society. For that matter, inspection of sexuality of fetus by X-ray usually leads to the abortion of female fetus in the countryside, where people have discrimination towards women. Thus almost officials have enacted laws in accordance with basic ethics, which believed as everyone is born to equal, to shut down this unfair phenomenon.

It is tempting to assert that technology bring us these problems and determine our actions and ethics. But with carefully consideration of the correlation between the technology and human’s behavior, it is not hard to find the truth, that is, even referring to ethics and customs, technologies only play the role as instrument manipulated by human. Customs and ethics of human society are determined by the average level of education and inherent emotions and thought in human nature, which could never be taken charged of technologies. If we cast a look back at the old days, when we did not have any measure to assure the gender of fetus, in order to prevent the birth of girl, fool people without ethical understanding towards the human rights also try variety ways to find the answer, such as by guessing, praying and even observing the shape of pregnant women’s belly.
Obviously, lacking of technology could not keep human from involving ethical problems. That is to say, it is not the technology determine customs and ethics of human. And in order to make our society to be a more harmony and pleasant place to stay, we must appeal for the help from educators, politicians, economics as well rather than consider technologies, which invented by men, as the determinable power. It is education and public figures proverbs teach people to be respective, tolerant, and intelligent, with evoking the beauty inside human’s nature.

In sum, technologies have brought us a great number of changes and thus influence us deep in every respects of life. Nevertheless, it is extreme to say that technologies determine our customs and ethics, which are probably the products of education and human nature.