Is it possible for the Earth’s population to exceed the food it can provide? Could the population expand so much that there would not be enough shelter, enough oxygen, or enough water? It would seem almost inevitable that as humans reproduce at an exponential rate, we would at some point reach a limit where the Earth could no longer provide essential items for life. This idea of carrying capacity is brought forth and evaluated by Nye within his essay “Sustainable Abundance, or Ecological Crisis?” Although Nye views that there are some limiting factors, he believes it is society’s decision as to how we use the Earth that will determine how many humans can survive on it.
Nye begins his essay by referencing David Defoe’s story of Robinson Crusoe in which a British castaway, by the name of Robinson Crusoe, is able to survive for 26 years on a deserted island. Due to both the knowledge and technology, from his shipwreck, gained from his society, Robinson is capable of surviving on the island. Had Robinson not had the knowledge or the technology that he did, it is likely that he would not have been able to survive. It is clearly seen that the carrying capacity of the island depended on how much access to the islands resources Robinson had. Had Robinson been unable to use his knowledge or technology to gather food, or to make shelter, or to get clean water, it is likely he would have died.
The idea of the world’s carrying capacity is quite similar to that of the island in Robinson Crusoe. That is, it is not a set number that never fluctuates. Instead, the carrying capacity of the world relies heavily on how mankind decides to use the resources of the world. Technological advances have greatly improved the efficiency of farming, housing, and even clothing. Due to items such as “gasoline motors, tractors, electrification, new fertilizers, and hybrid seeds” productivity in farming has greatly increased—in most crops 200 percent.
Technology is not the only item that affects the Earth’s carrying capacity. The carrying capacity is also greatly affected by society and culture. Based on how the society interacts with nature plays a great deal in how much the Earth can support. Take for example the gas crisis in 1970s. Nye references this as a time of change amongst the way the cultured viewed the world’s resources. Suddenly things became more rare and there was a change in the way the culture used resources. Renewable resources became more popular and more funding was put towards items that were fuel-efficient. This however did not last and we have found ourselves in the same problem recently.
The above video examines how Henry Ford and Frederick Taylor's ideas and how the revolutionized product assembly. It explains how standardized parts are the basis of a huge range of products, including some that you wouldn't normally thing about, such as fast food. It also states that product line assembly reduces the expertise required by the workers. No longer did workers have to have an understanding of how everything fit together, instead they only had to perform their own task.
ROUGH DRAFT OF PAPER ONE
In modern day society, it is nearly impossible to escape technology. From cell phones on street corners to thousands of books stored on a Kindle, society is completely immersed in technology, and life without it is completely unthinkable. With the proliferation of technology, it raises the question of whether or not we actually control it. David E. Nye argues that technology is not deterministic, but it has become a necessary choice. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s argument, though dated, demonstrates most closely society’s dependence on technological advances. While control still belongs to man, societal pressures have undeniably limited it.
In “Does Technology Control Us?,” David E. Nye claims that technology is in fact not deterministic and can be avoided if wanted. In order to prove his point, Nye cites several societies that are prime examples of mankind’s ability to deny technology. Nye first starts out by discussing the Samurai’s of Japan who refused the technological advancement of the gun. Guns to the Japanese “had little symbolic value to the warriors” such as that that was associated with the sword.[i] It wasn’t until guns were absolutely necessary for the protection of Japan that the gun was accepted culturally. Nye then goes on to discuss the Amish community. The Nye points out that the Amish community’s rejection of technology “show[s] that communities can make self-conscious technological choices and can resist even very powerful technologies.”[ii]
Nye does not completely deny the fact that technology has some control over us. It is clearly understood by Nye that because of previous choices made in society, it may sometimes feel like we are “trapped” by technology.[iii] Evidence of this includes building code requirements, which force us to live with technological advancements such as plumbing, heating, and electricity. It is conveniences like this that cause man’s “free will” to choose technology.
Society, as a whole, favors convenience. It is built it the human nature of mankind. When Nye claims that man chooses technology freely, he is neglecting the simple fact that humans are driven by an innate desire to achieve something the quickest, easiest way. Technology in it’s broadest sense includes any tool that mankind has made to better himself off; A hammer is technology, flint and steel is technology, even shelter is a type of technology. In the earliest of times it wasn’t about whether or not to accept technology, it was about surviving, and those with the better technology would. It is impossible to imagine man’s survival without the use of technology. Man cannot withstand the elements without technology; he cannot gather substantial food without technology. By stating that man can survive without technology is limiting technology to modern advances such as cell phones and the Internet, and not technology in its complete sense.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s expresses his views on technology very clearly in his poem, “Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing.” Within this poem Emerson boldly asserts, “Things are in the Saddle, / And ride mankind.”[iv] Emerson shows no doubt in his belief that technology has taken a superior position to mankind and, much like a rider of a horse, controls mankind. Emerson then goes on to state that, “The last [law for thing] builds town and fleet, / But it runs wild, / And doth the man unking.”[v] This statement only stresses his belief that mankind has become a slave to technology. Emerson is implying that man no longer is capable to control his own destiny. He know longer holds the thrown of power and instead technology, a rebellious force, makes decisions for man.
The problem with Emerson’s statements is that they were written during the time of the Industrial Revolution. The idea that technology enslaved mankind really did hold true because machines did not need man to work. Man was being replaced by something that did the same job as him, but faster and more consistent. In the modern era, this does not completely apply. It is true that tasks are still completed by machines, but no longer does man feel obsolete to machines. In the information age it is vital for a business to exceed based on diversity of people and unique ideas. These do not come from technology and machines. There is a human element that must be accounted for and that drives business more so than technology itself.
Although Emerson and Nye disagree on the role that technology plays in society, neither is right. When Nye claims that technology is a complete choice, he is not using the fullest description of technology. Even though Emerson disagrees with Nye, his view that mankind is enslaved to technology is too radical, and therefore also false. Man is capable of setting off into the wild and being able to survive without what many seem to be essential in the 21st century such as cell phones and the Internet. Mankind’s natural instinct causes him to rely on technology and it’s advancements, however man still holds a small decision in whether or not to become a machine driven by technology.
Notes
[i] Nye, E. D. (2007). Does Technology Control Us? In Technology Matters (pp. 17). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press
[ii] Nye, 17.
[iii] Nye, 21.
[iv] Emerson, Ralph Waldo. ""Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing" (1846)." In Early Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York, Boston, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company: 1899.
[v] Emerson.
Bibliography
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. ""Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing" (1846)." In Early Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York, Boston: Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, 1899.
Nye, E. David. "Does Technology Control Us?" In Technology Matters, 17-31. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2007.
3 Questions
ReplyDelete1. RE: "David E. Nye argues that technology is not deterministic, but it has become a necessary choice."
What is the choice you refer to here?
2. RE: "When Nye claims that man chooses technology freely, he is neglecting the simple fact that humans are driven by an innate desire to achieve something the quickest, easiest way."
Is this always the case? Doesn't Nye provide a counter-example with the Amish? (another counter-example might be the enduring popularity of foods that take a lot of time and trouble to prepare, even in an age of frozen meals and microwave ovens)
3. RE: "The problem with Emerson’s statements is that they were written during the time of the Industrial Revolution. The idea that technology enslaved mankind really did hold true because machines did not need man to work. Man was being replaced by something that did the same job as him, but faster and more consistent. In the modern era, this does not completely apply. It is true that tasks are still completed by machines, but no longer does man feel obsolete to machines."
What does Nye say about the question of machines replacing human labor, both in the 19th c. and in more recent times?