issue 88 ~~~ 球拍

sherryhuhuhuUID: 2834899

TOPIC: ISSUE88 - "Technologies notonly influence but actually determine social customs and ethics."
WORDS: 570
TIME: 00:43:11

DATE: 2010/7/12

With the rapid development of technology, peopleare appreciating the convenience which technology brings about and almost allof us would admit that our lives have been affected by technology very much. Butthe speaker claims that social customs and ethics are determined bytechnologies, with which I disagree because that assertion seems to put cartbefore horse. Technologies do influence our social customs and ethics, and actually,I think, the former are determined by the latter.

Social customs and ethics involve a lot, fromthe common ideology of a society to the tradition of celebrating differentfestivals in different areas. As a result, I do not think that we can say any individualfactor determines the social customs and ethics by itself, because the formingof today's custom system has gone through many different kinds of society andthus it is influenced by varieties of factors. In ancient time, human had towork together with others in their tribe to hunt for food --- always hugeanimals that were several times bigger than the hunter; otherwise they couldstarve to death or even become the food of their expected food. Maybe, this wasthe origination of cooperation. And then the quarry brought back to tribe orhome would be allocated according to different rules, resulting in the formingof different customs. For example, the rule that more food should be given topeople who hunted more might be the predecessor of the principle –more pay formore work. If more food was given to the weak, such as the old and the young,then the virtue of more caring for the weak began to shape. Why the twodistribution systems were distinct? Maybe the person who allocated food saw amother bird flew back to feed her children first after she caught insects or theperson himself was not good at hunting. Who knows? So we can see that factorsaffecting the initiation of customs and ethics are too complex to define, letalone the ones in the long development and inheriting period full of replenishment.Thus it is just too presumptuous to say an individual factor, such astechnology, determines the social customs and ethics.


Actually, when it comes to the relationshipbetween technologies and social customs and ethics, it is the latter thatdetermines the direction of the former, not the other way around. Progress intechnology should be almost owed to the intelligence and endeavor of scientistswho have been brought up, educated in a certain society and influenced by acertain kind of customs. Thus, scientists’ minds, which determine the contentof what they study, are production of his society’s customs and ethics. Take ascientist totally against abortion for example. He would never devote himselfto the study of medicines or facilities helpful for abortion. If a societyeducated all members with that view, then the technology of abortion would beundeveloped.

Admittedly, technologies do influence oursocial customs and ethics. For instance, with easier access to computer,communication by email are enjoyed by more and more people, resulting indecease in writing letters. However, writing is still a favorite communicationmethod of many people and the progress in technology does not make lettersdisappear. So it is exaggeration that technologies determine social customs andethics, which is initiated in the ancient era and mended or perfected by manyfactors through a long history.