Lesson 2 - Savages & Cloning

Lesson 2 consisted of two main topics:

1) Technology, Society and Global Dominance

2) Technology and Human Development

Technology, Society and Global Dominance

During this part of the lesson we learnt about "dominant" players in our world. We were given examples like apple creator Steve Jobs being a dominant player and android being a rising star. This concept made me think how fast our world changes now days. When I was a kid apple was known but not a dominant player at that point windows was known as the better (or more dominant) player. This example just goes to show that our world is extremely fast paced as what is a dominant player at this moment can be a falling star the next year. To go back to the example, right now the question is how long more apple can be a dominant player? With Steve Jobs out of the scene people wonder what the faith of apple will be. Will it become a falling star?

"There are many humorous things in the world; among them the white man's notion that he is less savage than other savages."

Mark Twain

Another interesting aspect of class is the article "The Colonial Holocaust and its Legacy" by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed. It explores the affect of global dominance on colonialism. The quote emphasizes the need for dominance from early on in our world. It also shows the extreme lengths that people go through to be dominant. The quote also reminds me of a book I read last year titled Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It focuses on the savage nature of man and how the need for dominance can eat them from within. It is set in Africa during the time of colonialism and the main character, Marlow, observes how the white men are more savage then the locals of Africa. The white men desire to be dominant and think themselves above others, however, they are only presentable on the outside but within they are merely savages.

Technology and Human Development

The second half of the lesson focused on the influence of technology on human life. There are many dimensions of human development such as sustainability. This is the idea that what we are introducing now should not limit future discoveries and should prompt further development. I found this facet particularly important as the world we live in now is constantly changing and progressing, so, we must think before we act to make sure the ideas we introduce now have a positive affect for our future.

Human Cloning

One of the presentations of this section focused on human cloning. I found this presentation particularly beneficial as it explored the possibilities for the future. Cloning shows the mark that technology has had on human development as before we had no ability to clone anything. The fact that a scientist was able to clone a sheep shows that we are only a few steps away from being able to clone people as a regular activity. This reminded me of the movie The Island. The movie shows a community of clones that have been made and raised in a control environment in order to help those who need replacement organs. They have the same emotions and thoughts as humans with the exception of them being produced in a laboratory. I think this movie emphasizes the emotional challenges associated with cloning and the implications it might have on our world. If we have the technology readily available and begin to clone humans on a regular basis what are the implications? Will the clones have thoughts and feelings like us? Is it an inhumane activity? I think these are all questions worth considering before beginning cloning or any other controversial activity.

Conclusions

As a whole, I found the class interesting and informative. It raised important issues and made me think of things at a deeper level. Although I did find it hard to consume all the information in the presentations as perhaps we were thrown a bit too much information.

rating: 8/10