It Really Doesn't Bother Me.

[Fkeu'itan]

Technology.

I have to be honest and say I don't think I really care about the progress of technology and science if it's at the sacrifice of the earth's resources, it's people and basic ethics. I don't really care if we can build supercomputers that can calculate complex algorithms, I don't really mind if we never discover how gravity works, whether the mysteries of black holes remain just that, if the theories of multi-dimensions will ever be proven.

Do we really need to plough so much into finding ways to get (comparitively) useless knowledge when we know very little about our own planet or how to keep it alive?

People say "knowledge is power" but are we just trying to gain too much power at the expense of everything else?

[ZenitYerkes]

Yeah. I think so.

You see, humans are curious animals. We've got to know: know how the Universe is, know if there's something else outside, know how to work our resources so we can supply our needs and desires,...

Most knowledge is completely useless most of the times, I agree. Who does need to know quantum physics when you're starving, or who was Admiral Nelson while you're paying for some meat at the supermarket? Who has ever used his maths equations while watching the TV?

Well, let's see why it's useless. Knowledge is meant to be used; since this is a large society, every individual by itself has a limited function in which he has to apply very little knowledge compared to the amount of knowledge acquired throughout the education period. EG an engineer does not need to know the Constitutional rights of the citizen, whereas a lawyer does.

But for what would we need to spend a large amount of money on observatories and space shuttles to do spatial research, for example? Shouldn't we firstly get rid of Terran problems before moving to other planets? Or, how about cloning? Do we really need to duplicate ourselves?

The problem is that we are curious, our instincts tell us to know.

And that's something that even though being practical beings, we cannot control. Thus we constantly seek answers for matters that aren't actually of our concern, or which we cannot modify at all. And we do so, even risking the life of this planet.

See how pointless is to know that the star XHA90173 is following a strange pattern of which you have written a theory when you ask yourself "And now, what?"

I say, pick a razor and cut out everything we strictly don't need now. If we needed it later, then let our sons do the work for us; it's their concern, not ours.

[Loverofnature]

i think that tech is good, BUT to a certain degree! we have imo surpassed that border a looooooong time ago... :/

[Elyannia]

I agree with Loverofnature. I mean i love technology is gave me the internet and videogames but somethings should be left undiscovered. Zenit I know exactly what you mean about being curious XD Im a very curious person I'm always going into a store and trying to figure out how things work and i love to take things apart =D Usually I cant put it back together...but thats what dads are for XD.

[Human No More]

Knowledge itself is a goal in it's own right, and an excellent one, there just has to be a balance when developing.

[Isard]

O_O I find this very ironic, as just a day ago I added to my signature that exact quote...

That's a little creepy...

The way I look at it, if every generation said, "well we don't need this now, let some other generation mess around with it." We'd still be living in the dark ages. Invention "just for the hell of it" helps solve problems before they even develop. As does invention without any real goals. (take Penicillin for example, that was an accident that created it.)

[Fkeu'itan]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

O_O I find this very ironic, as just a day ago I added to my signature that exact quote...

That's a little creepy...

The way I look at it, if every generation said, "well we don't need this now, let some other generation mess around with it." We'd still be living in the dark ages. Invention "just for the hell of it" helps solve problems before they even develop. As does invention without any real goals. (take Penicillin for example, that was an accident that created it.)

Unfortunately, invention "just for the hell of it" is not impact-free. It consumes resources. And in technology's case, these resources are precious little ones and ones that are very, very harmful to come by.

Increasingly, it seems now we're creating issues to justify pre-emptive solutions.

"We've created a new technology... now we have to find a reason for it to exist."
"We've discovered you can manufacture cells... It COULD possibly be used to cure Cancer."
"We've built the world's largest particle collider. It MIGHT be used to find other dimensions."

You could indeed argue that this is the very nature of discovery. You have to try and fail. But do the rewards outweigh the impact of the discovery process? Say we do find there's another dimension. What to do with that knowledge? Try and harness it's power? That just starts another 'discovery' ball rolling and, in turn, as the demands for discovery become ever higher, there is ever-increasing consumption of precious resources and damage.

Advancement for advancement's sake. And it's all at the cost of - well - us and the planet we live on.

The question is do we really need all this relatively useless, virtually unapplicable 'knowledge' and technology or can we get by without it?

[Isard]

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

That's exactly the problem. Increasingly, it seems now we're creating issues to justify pre-emptive solutions.

The question is, are we now pushing 'advancement' for advancement's sake? Do we really need all this so called 'knowledge' or can we get by without it?

You can never have enough knowledge. EVER.

[ZenitYerkes]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

You can never have enough knowledge. EVER.

Why not?

I'm asking because I feel this is one of the "reflex arguments" people tend to shout out when a certain point is made.

Simile: there's adifference between having a huge lake and being thirsty enough to drink it all.

[Fkeu'itan]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

You can never have enough knowledge. EVER.

But can you have too much power?

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

"We've created a new technology... now we have to find a reason for it to exist."
"We've discovered you can manufacture cells... It COULD possibly be used to cure Cancer."
"We've built the world's largest particle collider. It MIGHT be used to find other dimensions."

So you'd rather we sat there and did nothing about these? I don't even know where to start with that...

You could indeed argue that this is the very nature of discovery. You have to try and fail. But do the rewards outweigh the impact of the discovery process? Say we do find there's another dimension. What to do with that knowledge? Try and harness it's power? That just starts another 'discovery' ball rolling and, in turn, as the demands for discovery become ever higher, there is ever-increasing consumption of precious resources and damage.

How exactly? There are numerous applications for similar discoveries, such as improved energy sources (removing the need for fossil fuels), faster than light travel, and simply understanding the nature of the universe is an important goal in itself.

The question is do we really need all this relatively useless, virtually unapplicable 'knowledge' and technology or can we get by without it?

Depends how you argue it's useless. So you think cancer research is useless? Sorry, but the people I know whose lives it has saved would disagree, as would I. I'm going to stop before you succeed in making me angry now.

[Fkeu'itan]

Originally Posted by Human No More

So you'd rather we sat there and did nothing about these? I don't even know where to start with that...

Perhaps those were poor examples. What i'm basically trying to say is why are we trying to discover things that could, possibly, maybe take us further into things when theres more pressing issues at hand. On THIS planet, in THIS dimension with OUR people.

Originally Posted by Human No More

How exactly? There are numerous applications for similar discoveries, such as improved energy sources (removing the need for fossil fuels), faster than light travel, and simply understanding the nature of the universe is an important goal in itself.

The way I see things is as a graph with a curve gradually incresaing in steepness. The longer time goes on and discoveries are made, the harder you have to work and them more you have to push the boundaries of what is wrong and what is right and the more you have to put in to get out. I'm just worried what we're now putting in - in terms of both physical resource and 'bad' ethics* - is far in excess of what this planet and we as a species can handle.

Originally Posted by Human No More

Depends how you argue it's useless. So you think cancer research is useless? Sorry, but the people I know whose lives it has saved would disagree, as would I. I'm going to stop before you succeed in making me angry now.

I didn't mean to make you angry and i'm not expressly saying that Cancer research is useless at all... I personally have been affected by Cancer as well.

I think what Zenit said here;

Originally Posted by ZenitYerkes

I just say there are more relevant issues who need to be prioritized above the search of intelligent life or investigation on robots which can clap or dance; for example, focus progress on ways to sustain our current lifestyle without running out of resources, or take rid of diseases or hunger.

said it better than I did. There are issues more important than observing planets lightyears away that we may never visit for example.

I apologise. I find it difficult to get what I think across in a coherant way.

*This is another argument however.

[Na'vi_supporter]

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

I apologise. I find it difficult to get what I think across in a coherant way.

Curse of internet discussions, it's very easy to misunderstand, when ideas need to be compressed into a few lines.

oh...and it's even worse if you are not english, like me...

[X.,.Pandora.,.X]

pffff, whales

[Isard]

Originally Posted by X.,.Pandora.,.X

pffff, whales

Whales are cool.

>.>


<.<





Why are we talking about whales again?