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I am new in both writing and revising
issue 88
"Technologies not only influence but actually determine social customs and ethics."
Taking a brief glance at history of human existence, it is not difficult to draw the conclusion that technology, defined as the application of science and knowledge,(science is partial of human knowledge) has played an important role in bringing transformation and improvement to society. Moreover, I agree with the above saying in the topic that technology should be regarded as a determinative factor which not only influence but also, and more importantly, determine the social custom and ethics.
Generally speaking, it is the trends of social perspective that technology exercises enormous influence on the custom and ethics of mankind. Before the Industrial Revolutionary occurring in Britain in the eighteenth century, women were not allowed to work or study outside their houses apart from some comparatively enlightened places; yet waves of women went into spinneries to work as cotton spinner in the late decade of that century after the jenny were universally ultimate in the factory around Europe. Due to the development and betterment of the equipment, in the early twenties, the difference of working effectiveness between a man and a woman could be ignored, causing feminism campaign all over the world for sexual equality and personality liberation as well as the traditional attitude toward women. Nowadays in this nation, women rushing for offices can be seen everywhere without surprising and discrimination, the scene of which is very different from that of the early last century we could imagine.(only one example is inefficient to prove “determine”, it is still INFLUENCE, quick conclusion)
However, question can be raised why it is believed that the technology rather than the human beings themselves determine the social custom and ethics. Admittedly, in a short period, the intension of individuals and the needs of the social customs, can determine(indicate) the trends technology will follow. Considering the long eras human history covers, it is the technology that guarantees the basic condition for surviving, (What if the term PRODUCTIVE LABOR? Technology, essentially, is the tool applied to accelerate manufacture.) offer an opportunity to mankind to develop human society, and form variable custom and ethics (The original custom and ethics is formed by technology? What came first in human history?) according to the complicated geographical position and uneven levels of technology. (developed with the ever renewed technologies) Without technology of navigation, most nations at present might still hold the belief that they were the center in the universe(but of science discovery?); of industry, millions of women might never ever get the chance to see the scene out of limited sight from their window(How to explain feminie clan?) of commerce, the concept of global village and the consciousness of racial quality might never exist. One specialist on social science has given a proper comment on the function of technology in society: "Technology, has determined the social system and human ideology in the past time, and it will do in the future."(Tautology, meaningless)
As mentioned in the last paragraph, social custom and ethics greatly influence the development of technology, or even sometimes restrict further technological research and experiments. Human cloning, for instance, is legally abandoned in many countries due to the discordance with the ethnics. Still, the concepts of human cloning as well as the experiments on animals challenge with the traditional social perspectives which assert that nature law can be impossibly changed. Furthermore, no one can tell whether in the future, human cloning will become legal, since the technology of tube pregnancy when first contrived was considered illegal while being accepted by almost all the nations today.(These make sense. You see, through all above I can draw a conclusion that technology and human custom and ethics are interacting, interinfluencing.)
In conclusion, technology can be metaphorized as a flowing river, while the social custom and ethics as the banks, on which preserves human civilization( and cultures). Although banks are seemed to control the direction to which the flow is headed, the river has made them first.(That’s new, but I donnot agree.) |
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