Science and Technlogy Content Notes [ Lecture Notes ]

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Introduction

Positive impact:

[1] Today, science has a profound effect on the way we live, largely through technology—the

use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. The first automobile, dating from the 1880s,

made use of many advances in physics and engineering, including reliable ways of generating

high-voltage sparks, while the first computers emerged in the 1940s from simultaneous advances

in electronics and mathematics.

[2] Alongside these achievements, science has also brought about technology that helps save

human life. The kidney dialysis machine enables many people to survive kidney diseases that

would once have proved fatal, and artificial valves allow sufferers of coronary heart disease to

return to active living. Biochemical research is responsible for the antibiotics and vaccinations

that protect us from infectious diseases, and for a wide range of other drugs used to combat

specific health problems. As a result, the majority of people on the planet now live longer and

healthier lives than ever before.

[3] Indeed, technological research and development continue to introduce new products and

services to society. Many of these innovations come about as a response to society’s changing

needs, providing solutions to the problems faced in modern society, improving our standard of

living and increasing our efficiency.

Negative impact:

[4] However, scientific discoveries can also have a negative impact in human affairs. Over the

last hundred years, some of the technological advances that make life easier or more enjoyable

have proved to have unwanted and often unexpected long-term effects.

[5] Industrial and agricultural chemicals pollute the global environment, even in places as remote

as Antarctica, and city air is contaminated by toxic gases from vehicle exhausts. The increasing

pace of innovation means that products become rapidly obsolete, adding to a rising tide of waste.

Most significantly of all, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas releases into

the atmosphere carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. These gases have altered the composition

of the entire atmosphere, producing global warming and the prospect of major climate change in

years to come.

[6] Science has also been used to develop technology that raises complex ethical questions. This

is particularly true in the fields of biology and medicine. Research involving genetic engineering,

cloning, and in vitro fertilization gives scientists the unprecedented power to bring about new

life, or to devise new forms of living things. At the other extreme, science can also generate

technology that is deliberately designed to harm or to kill. The fruits of this research include

chemical and biological warfare, and also nuclear weapons, by far the most destructive weapons

that the world has ever known.

[7] Now, more than ever, technology – a product of science – has become an important part of

peoples’ lives. Not only does technology have a direct impact on our physical lives but it also

affects our social relationships and values.

(1)Social Impacts & Implications

<!--[if !supportLists]-->a. <!--[endif]-->Effect on Work & Employments

<!--[if !supportLists]-->i. <!--[endif]-->Creation of new jobs

The advance of science and technology has led to the creation of new jobs in

the pharmaceutical, medical, research and biotechnological fields.

Singapore:

In 2000, Singapore declared biotechnology as the fourth pillar of its

economy. Due to increased international competition, Singapore has

gradually moved its emphasis from manufacturing technology to the

biomedical sciences. In an effort to become an integrated biotechnology hub,

Singapore has pumped in $2.3 billion in investments, grants and incentives.

The government is also trying to create domestic talent. The Agency for

Science, Technology and Research is offering $286 million in scholarships for

students to pursue Ph.D.'s in biomedical sciences at home and abroad, in

exchange for their promise to work in Singapore for up to eight years.

Adapted from (“Singapore Goes Biotech”, New York Times, 2003)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ii. <!--[endif]-->Displacement of jobs

At work, certain jobs, especially low skilled jobs have become obsolete. Even

jobs that require training and skill have been displaced. For example,

shorthand, typewriting, and draughtsmanship have been replaced by word-

processing, voice-recognition and computer-aided design and manufacturing

systems.

Large companies which used to be structured in a multi-layered hierarchical

way in order to facilitate control and reporting are stripping away layers of

middle management. The company in the IT age adopts a flatter structure,

decentralises and gives more autonomy to its operating units. The company

becomes more efficient, but middle managers need to redefine or retrain

themselves in order to remain relevant to the job market.

iii.Telecommuting

Science & technology allows an interconnected working arena that spans

across continents. Employees can work in the comfort of their own homes as

they are able to access the necessary information that they require. The

virtual office connects companies to customers and fellow workers to each

other.

However, working from home would mean they will miss out on social

interactions available in the office. Another drawback of working from home

is that the lines between work and home are blurred.

Question:

(a)When the lines between home and work are blurred, what are the

implications on the employee?

<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->The employee may be expected to be on

call/ working 24 hours a day regardless of where he may be.

<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->Difficult to have work-life balance

because there is no such distinction.

<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->This may increase stress on the family, as

the parent brings work-related stress back home.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->b. <!--[endif]-->Effect on Relationships

<!--[if !supportLists]-->i. <!--[endif]-->Social Glue

Gone are the days of snail mail and expensive trunk calls. With Information

Communication Technology (ICT), communication between individuals within

a family, company, or country can be made with ease. When the Internet

was first introduced, it was used to disseminate information within a

company and between companies.

Background:

Prior to the global communications network we understand the internet to be

today, it is theorized that the internet started out with military computers in

the Pentagon called Arpanet in 1969. The Arpanet gave birth to the internet

protocols in the 1970s.

Today, the Internet has become a common form of communication capable

of disseminating information across time and space. Where a country has the

skills and access to ICT, society will be able to find, foster and develop

relationships through online social networks like Facebook, Twitter and

MySpace.

The rapid adoption of such social network sites by members of a society

reveal how ICT has transformed from once a private space between

companies/organisations to a public space between members from various

societies.

In the past, it has been suggested that the Internet and e-mail could diminish real relationships.

But the report, entitled The Strength of Internet Ties done by the US-based Pew Internet think-

tank, found that e-mail supplements rather than replaces offline communications.

ICT has created a new basis for community. Instead of relying on a single community for social

support, individuals often actively seek out a variety of appropriate people and resources across

continents for different situations. This has resulted in the rise of networked individualism where

users of modern technology are less tied to local groups and increasingly part of more

geographically scattered networks.

Adapted from Internet serves as ‘social glue’

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4644666.stm)

Question

(a) Does the emphasis on online communication necessarily lead to social

isolation?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->c. <!--[endif]-->Social problems and cyber crimes

<!--[if !supportLists]-->i. <!--[endif]-->Piracy

Music theft can take various forms: individuals who illegally upload or download music online,

online companies who build businesses based on theft and encourage users to break the law, or

criminals manufacturing mass numbers of counterfeit CDs for sale on street corners, in flea

markets or at retail stores. Across the board, this theft has hurt the music community, with

thousands of layoffs, songwriters out of work and new artists having a harder time getting signed

and breaking into the business.

One credible analysis by the Institute for Policy Innovation concludes that global music piracy

causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U.S. jobs lost, a loss of $2.7 billion in

workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income

tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.

Taken from RIAA--Piracy (http://www.riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php)

However recently, after years of futile efforts to stop digital pirates from copying its music, the

music business has started to copy the pirates.

Online and mobile services offering listeners unlimited, "free" access to millions of songs are

proliferating.

Taken from the Intl Herald Tribune (http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/18/technology/midem.4-410564.php)

ii. Private or Public Opinion

Online blogs or diaries, similar to online social networks, can be created to provide a private

space for individuals on the public spaces of the Internet. While such blogs may function as a

private diary, the readership is not limited to the author.

Under Section 298 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, anyone with deliberate intention of

wounding the religious or racial feelings of any person, causes any matter however represented

to be seen or heard by that person, can be jailed up to three years, or fine, or both, if convicted.

Deputy Commander of Central Police Div HQ, Superintendent Lee Ping Yue, said that the police

take a serious view of irresponsible blog postings in a multi-racial society like Singapore and

'will expend all efforts in tracking the perpetrators'.

Taken from ST Online

(

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_239545.ht

ml)

iii.Internet Addiction (Social Isolation)

Youth internet addiction has become a serious social problem. To curb and

alleviate this problem, the Chinese authorities have called for tighter

enforcement of the rules banning under-18s from internet cafes and for a

rating system for games.

Adapted from China’s clinic for its Internet junkies

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1545382/Chinas-clinic-for-its-

internet-junkies.html)

The potential to be absorbed by the wonders/capabilities of ICT is real and

continues to pervade societies. In extreme cases, individuals who do not

exercise discipline or control when dealing with ICT may become socially

isolated from the physical world, from reality.

iv. Predators

The goal of a predator is to get a child to consent to sexual activities. Predators contact teens

(online and offline) to start a conversation. Just as most teens know to say no to strange men who

approach them on the street, most know to ignore strange men who approach them online. When

teenagers receive solicitations from adults on MySpace, most report deleting them without

question. The media often reference a Crimes Against Children Report

(http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/jvq/CV38.pdf) that states one in five children receive a sexual

solicitation online.

Although the media has covered the potential risk extensively, few actual cases have emerged.

While youth are at minimal risk, predators are regularly being lured out by law enforcement

patrolling the site. The fear of predators has regularly been touted as a reason to restrict youth

from both physical and digital publics.

Taken from Danah Boyd’s Discussion Forum (http://www.danah.org/papers/MySpaceDOPA.html)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->v. <!--[endif]-->Identity Theft

Having more than one e-mail address can be useful in the battle against online fraud and spam. It

is also a good way to keep personal and professional lives separate.

Adapted from Web users keeping multiple emails (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7374540.stm)

Identity theft is costing the UK economy over £1.7bn a year, according to figures "calculated by

the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) in co-operation with both public and

private sector organisations".

Adapted from Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2006/feb/02/identityfraud)

Question

(a) What is your opinion on the blame placed on ICT in the creation of social

problems? Is it appropriate/fair?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->d. <!--[endif]-->Effect on Identity

i. Multiple Identities

Individuals can create a private space within the public space of the Internet.

In creating that private space, they may reveal their personalities and

express their opinions without any qualms (subjective to whether their

private space remains private or is open to public viewing).

According to Sally M. Cohen, author of Email, IM, And Social Network

Strategists: Help Teens Manage Multiple IDs While Preserving Privacy,

multiple identities allow teens to create boundaries in online social networks.

However, are such boundaries created to express themselves freely or free

themselves from the watchful eyes of parents?

ii. The Invisible Cloak

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Scalia said “The very purpose of anonymity is to

facilitate wrong by eliminating accountability” (quoted in [Framkin 1995]).

Under the cloak of an online identity, which is easily created, edited and

deleted, individuals may feel protected being anonymous. However there is

an obvious risk of misuse of anonymity. To eliminate such a risk, a United

Nations agency is quietly drafting technical standards, proposed by the

Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original source of

Internet communications and potentially curbing the ability of users to

remain anonymous. Adapted from CNET News (http://news.cnet.com/8301-

13578_3-10040152-38.html)

Question

(a) How different is having multiple personalities from having multiple online

identities?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->e. <!--[endif]-->Education

<!--[if !supportLists]-->i. <!--[endif]-->Accessibility of Information

With the help of new media, information is now easily available. The teacher no longer holds

absolute authority over knowledge. Both the teachers and students can take part in knowledge

acquisition and creation.

Question

(a)With increasing access to information, how has the role of teachers changed?

(b)Are teachers redundant?

(linked to how we define education? Also the need for a teacher to help teach skills to process

the abundant information)

In addition, new media has provided the platform for distance learning which has transformed

the global education landscape.

Technology "will allow you to control the information you want, and to get it where you want it

and when you want it" - Randy Bennett (responsible for electronic-media initiatives at the

Newspaper Association of America)

ii.Digital Divide

ICTs are expected to improve efficiency and increase access to knowledge and expertise. Thus it

would appear that an inclusive information society will strengthen democracy, increase social

participation, remove barriers to modernization, and empower populations who might have been

left out of the development process. Thus ICT brings us one step closer to eradicating poverty.

Where a country has high levels of ICT skills and expertise, society will be better placed to

combat social exclusion and the information divide, as well as to identify opportunities for

economic growth. From the individual standpoint, access to certain forms of ICTs may increase

the choices available to individuals. With increased access to information, individuals are able to

make more informed decisions. This is the very essence of empowerment.

Example:

In 1995, more than 2.2 million people in developing countries educated themselves through on-

line courses. At the same time, initiatives, such as the Health Internetwork, open up

communication lines and provide physicians and patients with up-to-the-minute medical

information and access to resources.

While some countries and people have benefitted from information communications technology

(ICT), more than 95% of the world still do not have electronic access. This gap between

information-haves and information-have nots, that exists both between countries and between

communities within countries, is known as the "digital divide" or "information poverty."

Evidence of the digital divide:

<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->A computer costs one month's salary for the average

American, compared with eight years' income for the average Bangladeshi.

<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->A quarter of the world’s countries still do not have

one telephone per 100 people.

<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->The United States has more computers than the rest

of the world combined, and Thailand has more cellular phones than the whole of Africa.

Adapted from ICTs and Education indicators (Communication Statistics unit, UNESCO Institute for Statistics)

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/partnership/material/ICT_Education_Paper_Nov_2006.pdf

and

UN cyberschoolbus (http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/technology/index.htm)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->f. <!--[endif]-->Healthcare

<!--[if !supportLists]-->i. <!--[endif]-->Playing God

Scientists have now successfully cloned several kinds of animals and Craig

Venter is well on the way to creating the first functional artificial life form,

Synthia: so-called synthetic biology. These advances place the power of God

in science’s hands. The prospect of radical biological modification of life on

this planet is real. This raises the profoundest ethical issues.

The potential to improve the human condition using this kind of technology is

an irresistible fruit. But with it comes the dark side of supertechnology: the

possibility of annihilation of life on this planet. Synthetic biology and creating

novel life forms by creating new DNA sequences could be used to create

organisms never before encountered on earth.

This kind of science will not and should not be stopped. The potential

benefits are too great. But with it, we require the most profound and

overarching programme of radical moral enhancement of human beings,

using not just traditional methods of education but looking at how we can

alter our own biology to ensure that we become the kinds of beings fit to

develop and use supertechnology.

If we develop supertechnologies that will profoundly change the nature of life

on this planet, we need to become the gods fit to wield this power.

Craig Venter:

J. Craig Venter is an American biologist and businessman. He founded the Institute of Genome

Research and was instrumental in mapping the human genome.

Adapted from Changing the Building Blocks of Life: Playing God and Being gods

http://www.practicalethicsnews.com/practicalethics/2008/02/changing-the-bu.html

Question

(a)What is your opinion on the use of science to ‘alter our biology’ so as to make us morally

upright?

(b)Are there differences in our understanding of morality across cultures and time? If so, who

decides which morality to abide to?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ii. <!--[endif]-->Producing Designer Children

Some people view the deliberate intervention in the natural process of procreation as an unethical

interference with the process of nature.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

Preimplantation genetic testing is a technique used to identify genetic defects in embryos created

through in vitro fertilization (IVF) before pregnancy. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

refers specifically to when one or both genetic parents have a known genetic abnormality and

testing is performed on an embryo to see if it also carries a genetic abnormality.

Because only unaffected embryos are transferred to the uterus for implantation, preimplantation

genetic testing provides an alternative to current postconception diagnostic procedures, which are

frequently followed by the difficult decision of pregnancy termination if results are unfavorable.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/273415-overview

As with all medical interventions associated with human reproduction, PGD gives rise to strong

and often conflicting views about the social acceptability of the procedure. For example, in

Germany the use of PGD is prohibited by law. In the UK, PGD is permitted in law but its

operation is controlled by the state.

Reasons against PGD

Diagnosis of late-onset diseases and predisposition syndromes

A more recent application of PGD is to diagnose late-onset diseases and (cancer) predisposition

syndromes. It can be argued that PGD for late-onset diseases is unethical since the individuals

remain healthy until the onset of the disease, usually in the fourth decade of life. On the other

hand, the high probability or certainty of developing some disorders, and their incurable nature,

can lead to a stressful life, waiting for the first symptoms to occur and to an early death. In the

case of predisposition syndromes, such as BRCA1 mutations predisposing to breast cancer, it can

be argued that there is no certainty of getting the disease and that the disease can usually be

treated.

PGD used for sex selection for non-medical reasons.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->g. <!--[endif]-->Blurring the boundaries between man and machine

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the area of computer science focusing on creating machines that

can engage on behaviors that humans consider intelligent. The ability to create intelligent

machines has intrigued humans since ancient times, and today with the advent of the computer

and 50 years of research into AI programming techniques, the dream of smart machines is

becoming a reality. Researchers are creating systems which can mimic human thought,

understand speech, beat the best human chessplayer, and countless other feats never before

possible.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->h. <!--[endif]-->Environment

Industrialization, deforestation, agricultural intensification, overfishing etc.

have brought about many environmental problems.

i.Impact on the rich and the poor

The environmental damage caused by rich nations disproportionately impacts poor nations and

costs them more than their combined foreign debt, according to a first-ever global accounting of

the dollar costs of countries' ecological footprints. (Science Daily, Jan 23, 2008)

The study makes clear, for example, that while deforestation and agricultural intensification

primarily impact the host country, the impacts from climate change and ozone depletion are

spread widely over all nations.

"Low-income countries will bear significant burdens from climate change and ozone depletion.

But these environmental problems have been overwhelmingly driven by emission of greenhouse

gases and ozone-depleting chemicals by the rest of the world," Srinivasan said.

Climate change is expected to increase the severity of storms and extreme weather, including

prolonged droughts and flooding, with an increase in infectious diseases. Ozone depletion mostly

impacts health, with increases expected in cancer rates, cataracts and blindness All of these will

affect vulnerable low-income countries disproportionately.

In addition to climate change and ozone depletion, overfishing and conversion of mangrove

swamps to shrimp farming are areas in which rich nations burden poor countries.

"Seafood derived from depleted fish stocks in low-income country waters ultimately ends up on

the plates of consumers in middle-income and rich countries," Srinivasan said. "The situation is

similar for farmed shrimp. For such a small, rare habitat, mangroves, when cut down, exact a

surprisingly large cost borne primarily by the poor- and middle-income countries."

The primary cost is loss of storm protection, which some say was a major factor in the huge loss

of life from 2005's tsunami in Southeast Asia.

Deforestation, on the other hand, can exacerbate flooding and soil erosion, affect the water cycle

and offshore fisheries and lead to the loss of recreation and of non-timber products such as latex

and food sources. Agricultural intensification can lead to drinking water contamination by

pesticides and fertilizers, pollution of streams, salinization of croplands and biodiversity loss,

among other impacts.

When all these impacts are added up, the portion of the footprint of high-income nations that is

falling on the low-income countries is greater than the financial debt recognized for low income

countries, which has a net present value of 1.8 trillion in 2005 international dollars, Srinivasan

said. (International dollars are U.S. dollars adjusted to account for the different purchasing power

of different currencies.) "The ecological debt could more than offset the financial debt of low-

income nations," she said.

Adapted from

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080121181408.htm

(2)Political Impact

i. A Surveillance Society

=> Cameras everywhere

=> Tracking on the use of the internet

This results in increased power/ authority by the state over its people and it can potentially create

fear and paranoia amongst the masses. We can draw parallels with the panopticon.

The Panopticon is a type of prison building designed by English philosopher and social theorist

Jeremy Bentham in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe prisoners

without the prisoners being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby conveying what

one architect has called the "sentiment of an invisible omniscience."

Bentham himself described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over

mind, in a quantity hitherto without example."

Parallel with the Novel: 1984 by George Orwell

Big Brother is a fictional character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the

enigmatic dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian state taken to its utmost logical consequence - where

the ruling elite ('the Party') wield total power for its own sake over the inhabitants.

In the society that Orwell describes, everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities,

mainly by telescreens. The people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase "Big Brother is

watching you", which is the core "truth" of the propaganda system in this state.

Question:

(a)How does the use of technology for surveillance infringe on our privacy? Does it matter?

ii. People Power

Technology has allowed the lateralization of communication systems, as mentioned in

Friedman’s “The World is Flat.”

Governments seem powerless to stop the propagation of ideas: you can ban someone from the

country but you can’t ban them from the internet. People are empowered by the new media.

Blogosphere

E.g 1.

Vietnamese dissidents opposed to the one-party rule have been communicating through Skype

and recruiting via test message and voice-over-Internet chat rooms. Exiled Vietnamese advocacy

groups have been sending bulk email messages to accounts with Vietnamese sounding names.

These emails typically decry government corruption and urge ordinary citizens to rise up and

demand multi-party elections.

The country is increasingly wired. Like China, Vietnam uses a firewall to block access to

pornography and political websites and is talking about censoring blogs – although that is more

difficult because most are posted on foreign-based websites.

(A Vietnamese “War” in the Blogosphere, TIME, 17 Aug, 2007)

E.g 2

Wikileaks is a website for whistle-blowers to post allegations of corporate or government

misconduct, while attempting to preserve the anonymity of its contributors. Within one year of

its December 2006 launch, its database had grown to more than 1.2 million documents.

Notable leaks:

An ex-employee at a Zurich-based bank, Julius Baer posted materials detailing money

laundering and tax evasion at the Julius Baer’s Cayman Islands branch.

A copy of Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta – the protocol of the U.S. Army at

the Guantánamo Bay detention camp – dated March 2003 was released on the Wikileaks website

on 7 November 2007. Its release revealed some of the restrictions placed over detainees at the

camp, including the designation of some prisoners as off-limits to the International Committee of

the Red Cross, something that the U.S. military had in the past repeatedly denied.

Website: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks

iii.Misuse of the Internet

E.g

Omar Mohammed Bakri – founder of infamous al-Muhajiroun group – fled Britain in 2006 and

was barred from returning. In September 2008, he was addressing a meeting of around 100

young Muslims in Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, via live webcam link to his home in Lebanon.

(Guardian, 29 Oct, 2008)

(3)Economic

Technology has changed the face of retail, manufacturing and services

<!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->Shift to e-services

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->Within 1 year of the creation of Expedia, the internet

travel-agency, 13% of traditional travel agency locations in the US closed down.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->eBAY and Amazon’s success are built on the deaths

of numerous traditional antique stores and book shops.

Benefits:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->Convenience for consumers

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->The internet serves as another platform for the

industries to innovate and make profits

Disadvantages:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->Traditional stores close down

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->Jobs are displaced

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->Decreased interaction and socialization amongst

people

(4)Science and Science fiction

Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or

future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games,

theatre, and other media.

While science fiction provides criticism of developing and future technology, it also produces

innovation and new technology. Science fiction can be said to fire the technological imagination.

According to Michio Kaku, one of the world’s most prominent physicists and co-founder of

string field theory, “many people don’t realize that science fiction has been an inspiration for the

world’s leading scientists.”

Criticism of future technology

E.g: Gattaca

The tale of a repressive nation which genetically-engineers its ruling classes, Gattaca makes it

seem that the logical outcome of genetic tampering is fascism. In reality, history has shown that

fascism can exist in the absence of modern science, and that genetic engineering is merely a tool

that can be put to good or bad uses. And yet the myth of genetic engineering existing on a

slippery slope toward social breakdown is a difficult one for experimental biologists to

overcome.

E.g Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's classic novel of biomedical horror and scientists "playing God," this novel has

probably done more to scare people away from biotech than almost any other science fiction

story. This novel suggests that monstrosity and murder are the only possible outcome of science

aimed at enhancing humans, or reusing human parts to create new kinds of life.

E.g Terminator

The field of robotics became popular when people started obsessing over the well-known and

ever-expanding set of Terminator tales about an evil A.I. named Skynet who destroys humanity

with nukes and an army of nasty cyborg soldiers. In Terminator, it seems inevitable that A.I. will

lead to human destruction — except in the few, rare cases when the cyborgs are forcibly

reprogrammed

Inspiration for future technology

E.g Look to Windward

One of Ian M. Banks novels about a post-human Culture where enhanced humans live alongside

A.I.s in an anarchic, trans-galactic society, Look to Windward explores the way humans can

maintain their basic identities and ethical values no matter how much they tamper with their

genes or modify their morphology. For Banks, synthetic biology is simply a logical way that

humans extend their capabilities, but it does not turn them into monsters or make them

authoritarian overlords.

E.g Michaelmas

A novel published by Algis Budrys in 1977 described a worldwide web of telecommunications

and computer data, not unlike what we see today.

More information about the novel:

The eponymous protagonist, Laurent Michaelmas, is an ex-hacker who had early in the computer

era left "back doors" in many key pieces of software which run vital government and commercial

computers. As a result, by the turn of the millennium, he has become one of the most powerful

men on earth, because of his ability to spy and influence through the worldwide computer

network.

By the time of the novel, Laurent Michaelmas has successfully used his power to create and

sustain a powerful version of the United Nations to ensure world peace. He stays in the

background, however, as a journalist, albeit a highly influential and respected one whose words

and opinions can still influence public opinion. However, as the novel progresses, Michaelmas

slowly learns that a possible extraterrestrial presence may be interfering with the new world he

has worked so hard to create.

The novel is remarkable for its prescience, because it appeared less than a decade into the

Internet era, long before its current prominence and ubiquity.

Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaelmas_(novel)

E.g Star Wars

Most prominent areas of research inspired by the film are ‘hyper-drive’ and robotics research

inspired by Luke Skywalker’s ever reliable R2D2 and C3PO.

Question:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->(a) <!--[endif]-->Can you think of any other works of science fiction

which criticize or inspire future technology?

Past year exam questions:

Year Science & Technology: Advancements and impact Source

2008 Science has been a scapegoat for the ills of modern society.’ Comment.

DH

2008 It is more important to educate young Singaporeans in Science than Arts.

NYJC

2008 Scientific research and applications which are exploitative should not be allowed.

SAJC

2008 Can spending on space research ever be justified when it has little practical use?

SAJC

2008 Effective communication in the technological age requires the written word more than the spoken one.

Comment.

SAJC

2007 The computer has done more harm than good to society. Is this true?

AJC

2007 Do you agree with the view, eventually technology will always solve the problems it creates?

HCI

2006 How technology changed the way we do business? CJC

2005 We are losing more than we gain through our advances in Science.’ Discuss.

NYJC

2003 Advances that make life more comfortable also make it more dangerous.’ How far is this true?

JJC

2003 To what extent have science and technology solved problems for the poor?

JJC

Year Science & Technology: Advancements and impact Source

2002 Science gives us the illusion of being in control. Discuss. AJC

2000 Modern technology has given us many time-saving devices, and yet we often complain that we have no

time. Why?

TPJC

2000 Big Brother is watching.’ The computer, instead of being Man’s friend, is his most insidious enemy. To what extent

do you agree with this view?

TPJC

2000 The advancements in Science and Technology today have both empowered and weakened Man. Discuss.

NYJC