Frankie's Webliography

Guiding Question:
“Frankenstein continues to occupy the popular imagination as a monstrous scientist. Analyze some of the ways in which Frankenstein continues to haunt discussions of recent technologies.”

Introduction
Nowadays in our society, technology plays the most essential role in human life. It likes a necessity that we are not able to exist without them. Therefore, I think the guiding question above is a quite interesting topic for me to discuss about the relationship between the humanity and technology. In this essay, we will focus on the questions about do the powerful technologies will control or replace the humanity in the future?

Initially, I noted that there are several keywords in the guiding question which are “Frankenstein” and “technology”. Thus, I tried to type these kinds of keywords with the help of some useful online search engines such as Google, Google Scholar and Yahoo. Although the information that I found in internet are broad and complex, it is easy to discover that there are many articles which is talking about the relation between the technology and humanity. After that, I need to choose which articles are suitable for supporting my argument.

If we want to make a clear argument of the guiding questions, it is essential for us to understand the definition of technology before we are going to discuss the relation between the technology and humanity is. "The Question Concerning Technology"[1] which is written by Heli Lanz mentions that “technology is not equivalent to the essence of technology.” He attempts to redefine that "technology is therefore no mere means. It is a way of revealing the truth.” It has “acquired new and almost unlimited powers to command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows.” Heli used the sentences of Frankenstein to describe the power of technology. “I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation." Therefore, we can understand that the development and the power of technology are amazing but danger as it may destroy our “original” world.

Moreover, it is necessary for us to understand the implication of Frankenstein. Alisa Burns’s article “Frankenstein of the Future” [2] noted that “Over two centuries ago, Mary Shelley created a gruesome tale of the horrific ramifications that result when man over steps his bounds and manipulates nature.” The implications of Frankenstein is that a young scientist playing God and creating life. “A human being the sciences are lusting blindly to bring to life, as was the deranged quest of Victor Frankenstein, but rather to generate something potentially even more dangerous and horrifying with implications that could endanger the entire world and human population.” The article suggests that the “ability to think, learn and process complex thoughts” is more powerful than the “human mind or human intelligence”. Imagine that today technology gaining greater power, we need to concern about “what we are doing when we are trying to give this capacity of intelligence to machines, just as Victor did when he gave life to his monster.” Otherwise, the technology may control us in the recent future.

Then, what is the relationship between the technology and humanity in our world? According to the article, “Technology vs. Humanity” [3], it mentioned that our technology has become “surpassed” our humanity. It is because it has the great and deep relation between the technology and humanity nowadays. Let’s look around about our house or city; it is easy for us to discover that there are many products or electric equipment is related to technology. For examples, personal computer, mobile phone, PSP and i-pod or even the washing machine, all of them are related to technology. We seems can not live without technology. It is a serious problem occur about human can control the technology at past as it is not likes a necessity but at present, the technology seems control us mentally.

After we have understood the relation between technology and humanity nowadays, it is a moment to have some real cases of new technology in our daily life. From Sara Goudarzi’s article “Human Thoughts Control New Robot” [4] stated that scientists have created a new method to control a robot with signals from a human brain. At the middle part of the essay, it suggests that one day the “semi-autonomous robots” might be able to use such as “helping disabled people or performing routine tasks in a person's home.” The new technology is designed very useful and convenient for helping disabled people and it may decrease the workload of humanity as they can control a robot with signals from their brain only. However, imagine that if the role of controller and robot is exchanged, then what’s happen?

It is not surprise for you to hear about the terms “Remote-Controlled Human”. From Yuri Kagayama’s article [5] wrote that it is a new technology is created about wield remote-controlled human. It sent a “very low voltage electric current from the back of controlled human ears through his head -- either from left to right or right to left, depending on which way the joystick on a remote-control was moved.” I think it is an unbelievable thing that this kind of new technology is able to control human’s action without any restriction. Maybe in the future, when the technology is developed more advanced and completely, humanity may really control by their created products, advanced technology.

The development of new technology may damage our society even in the employment issue. According to the article of Melissa Harman “Negative Effects of New Technology” [6], it points out that there is some negative effect brings from the technology. For instance, it can be responsible for the creation of jobs as well as the termination of jobs. The author of the articles predicts that “advances in computerization and technology will only continue to effect the distribution of jobs.” For the reason is that peoples who have skills will be able to compete for more advanced higher paying jobs, but the rest will be forced into service jobs that do not have the same payment. It means that “many jobs demand skills that are higher than the skills necessary for postsecondary education.” Thus, the development of new technology may damage the construction of our society

Conclusion
All in all, as we mention that the value of technology is similar to water and air. It is much powerful that it is surrounding our life since they may bring us many advantages. It makes our life become more comfortable and convenient. In a simply way, technology is a good assistant which help peoples save more money and time as it is able to complete the complex events or process in a fast and accurate way. However, the most important things we need to concern is that we can not depend the technology so much as the development of technology is rapid, humanity may become useless that we will be eliminated , not the technology.












Reference

[1] Heli Lanz’s "The Question Concerning Technology"
http://www.public.asu.edu/~hiroshi/eng400/frankenstein/project/student/lanzessay.html (Accessed 30/3/2008)

[2] Alisa Burns’s “Frankenstein of the Future” (October 2002)
http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/frank.comment4.html
(Accessed 30/3/2008)

[3] Michael J. Hurd’s “Technology vs. Humanity” (January 2001)
http://capmag.com/article.asp?id=152
(Accessed 30/3/2008)
[4]Sara Goudarzi’s “Human Thoughts Control New Robot” (December 2006)
http://www.livescience.com/technology/061215_humanoid_robot.html
(Accessed 30/3/2008)

[5] Yuri Kagayama’s “Remote-Controlled Human” (October 2005)
http://www.livescience.com/technology/ap_051025_remote_control.html
(Accessed 30/3/2008)
[6] Melissa Harman’s “Negative Effects of New Technology” (December 2006)
http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/mharman/finalweb/negativeeffects.htm (Accessed 30/3/2008)