Issue 88

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88. Technologies not only influence but actually determine social customs and ethics.
Technology in modern society is a subject of continuing controversy. The speaker claims that technology not only influence but also determines social customs and ethics. I concede technology has wide influence on almost every aspect of modern society, even on social customs and ethics. However, it is pontifical to conclude that technology determines social customs and ethics.
First, technology, which has been highly developed and widely applied, has made great contribution to material civilization’s development and prosperity. In agriculture, the production of produce has promoted greatly than before due to mechanization. People can do their work more efficiently, which leave them with more leisure time. In industry, workers only need to operate machines to produce products more effectively and efficiently. Modern technology has let the society developing at a fast pace.
Moreover, the amazing influence of technology lies on social customs. For instance, the inventions such as telephone, fax and Internet have driven people to abandon their traditional way of communication—paper letters. Before the Industrial Revolution, the notion that women should stay at home to do the housework and take care of children took the dominant position. However, technology led to Industrial Revolution and as a result, many women began to find their positions in factories, companies and governments since then, which was unimaginable in the past. Technology has also made the ways of transportation various. Today many people go to work by automobiles and many people travel by air or by ship which save them more time and, more important, provide them with more convenience.
Admittedly, with the development of technology, the system of human ethics is being affected gradually. In the case of the ethics involve in the development of new technology, ethics of such things as computer security and computer viruses asks whether the very act of innovation is ethically right or wrong. Similarly, does a scientist have an ethical obligation to produce a nuclear weapon”? What are the ethical questions surrounding the production of technologies that waste or conserve energy and resources? On the other hand, clone has become one of the most controversial technologies. The supporters claim that it is such a wonderful technology which we have dreamed for a long time and should be widely applied. While the protestors argue that the clone technology will cause serious ethical problems. There have not come conclusions about these controversial problems, but there is no doubt that technology has influenced a society to the ethic level.
However, we still cannot make the hasty generalization that technologies determine social customs and ethics. Culture and surroundings play more vital roles than technology in determining social customs and ethics. Therefore people should confine the development of technology with ethics to some extent, in order not to destroy a society’s ethics and morals. We should seek help from statutes to confine the development of some controversial technologies and take use of them positively and effectively. For example, we can first apply clone technology to medical treatment, which would benefit many people without causing ethical problems.
In sum, technologies influence social customs and ethics obviously rather than determine them.