Republic of the Philippines DISPENSABLE (in Filipino, kapalit-palit) in

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY the future? Ponder on this.

Don Severino de las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite
BRIEF HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY
There are four stages of technology:
Lecture 11: Why Does the Future not 1. Proto Technology
Need Us? ➔ This was the time when
people use stone tools during
This title came from - Bill Joy, the the stone age (Paleolithic,
author of the article “Why the future Doesn’t Mesolithic, and Neolithic).
Need Us?”, a computer engineer. In his Take note that proto means
article, he brought no joy to readers when first.
discussing how the advancement of
2. Classical Technology
technology will affect the human race.
➔ The time when the rise of
agricultural technologies like
plough and axe were used in
TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN SOCIETY farming.
The existence of human race and
its role in this evolving world has been 3. Modern Technology
questioned as generation progresses ➔ Advancement of the
and as human become more aggressive in old technology with new
developing technologies such as: additions and modifications
supplied by science concepts
● Education system technology and principles. It positively
● Information technology affected different areas such
● Home technology as:
● Personal technology
● Industrial technology 1. Education - use of
● Healthcare technology blackboards and
whiteboards, tablets
and cell phones
DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES THAT 2. Science - use of
CAN LEAD TO EXTINCTION microscopes and
other laboratory
● Pollution apparatus for
● Nuclear war conducting an
● Global warming and climate change experiment
● Habitat destruction 3. Travel - we have
airplanes that take
passengers to
ARE HUMAN BEING DISPENSABLE? another country in a
short period of time.
Too much desire for a technological world
and automation can also cause the removal
of human roles in the society, will that make
human beings USELESS and
4. Postmodern Technology 2. Sudden Extinction
➔ Unprecedented volcanic
➔ replaces naturally occurring products
eruption
with technologically developed ones.
➔ Major earthquakes
Development of these technologies
➔ Tsunamis
is really a big help but some
➔ Possible collision of asteroids
developments can be highly toxic for
and comets
the society and for the environment.
➔ Pandemic
Some examples are as follows:
1. Education - the use of too
much gadgets can lead the
HUMAN DISPLACEMENT POSSIBILITIES
students to dependency and
DUE TO TECHNOLOGICAL
incompetence
ADVANCEMENTS
2. Synthetic fertilizers - can
harm the soil 1. Ozone layer depletion
3. Plastics - non-biodegradable ➔ Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s)
and can pollute the ocean destroyed the ozone layer
4. Synthetic detergents, that protects the planet from
bleach and pesticides - can the ultraviolet radiation from
linger for many years and the sun.
can harm plants.
➔ CFCs are used in Aerosol
sprays, air-conditioners,
refrigerators, air-conditioned
SCENARIOS OF HUMAN EXTINCTION
cars, pesticides,
Human beings will have the fire-extinguisher, propellants,
tendency to become extinct either gradually solvents, and flame
or suddenly. retardants.
1. Gradual Extinction ➔ As stipulated in the Montreal
➔ Usual course of life as Protocol, the ozone layer is
individuals age and expected to recover fully
replaced by other species from all CFC damages by
more adapted to the 2050.
changing world.
2. Global Warming and Climate
➔ Disappearance of Change
ecological niche due to the ➔ Top climate scientists have
abrupt changes man has predicted and projected that
inflicted in the ecosystem. an average increase of 2
Ecological niche is defined degrees Celsius would be felt
as the position of a species by 2050.
within an ecosystem,
➔ The use of fossil fuels (such
describing both the range of
as oil, coal, and natural gas)
conditions necessary for
contribute to the continual
persistence of the species,
global warming and climate
and its ecological role in the
change of the earth.
ecosystem.
 decomposed plastic on
Earth.
3. Nuclear reactors
➔ Nuclear reactors have been ➔ Decomposition happens
used in different industries as but at a very slow pace and
a source of energy in spite of it pollutes the ocean, before
known threat of it happens, plastics in the
contamination if they oceans have already killed
malfunction. about 100,000 marine
animals.
➔ In 1986, the world’s worst
industrial nuclear accident
happened in Chernobyl
5. Petroleum-based Fertilizers
nuclear power facility in
➔ Petroleum-based fertilizers
Ukraine which caused death
are non-toxic when they are
and left thousands of people
used solely to increase crop
exposed to harmful
yield and income. But it feeds
radiations and this resulted to
only the plant. On the
7000 cases of thyroid cancer
contrary, organic fertilizers
among people below 18
feed the soil in order to feed
years old
the plant.
➔ In August 6, 1945, during the
➔ These petroleum-based
World War II, the world’s first
fertilizers pollute nearby
nuclear bomb was dropped
rivers and other bodies of
in Hiroshima, Japan causing
water because of the
massive causalities and
excessive amounts of
devastation in the city
nitrogen and phosphorus
immediately after explosion.
they contain. This can cause
There was also an increased
EUTROPHICATION where
rates of cancer and chronic
algal bloom results to oxygen
disease among the survivors.
depletion, cloudiness and
foul smell of water.
4. Use of Plastics
➔ Plastics are considered as
6. Habitat Destruction
the most versatile and useful
➔ Habitat destruction is a result
products in history as they
of land alteration (we are
were known non-toxic to
very familiar with this),
man. But later, it is now
deforestation (this one, too),
known to be toxic to
and some agricultural
environment as they do not
practices. All of these
enter the natural process of
contributed to global
recycling.
warming. Note that global
➔ The Great Pacific Garbage warming is caused by the
Patch (see image) in the increased levels of carbon
Northern Pacific Ocean – dioxide and other
contains the highest level of greenhouse gases in the
 Earth’s atmosphere. This
increase in CO2 level
definitely affects human
survival.

Prepared by:

RYAN V. JULIAN
GNED 06 Instructor