Technology, what is it? Its usually something new, and better than the old idea. Technology started with cars, stoves, TV, radios, etc. Cars takes somebody from one place to another, faster than walking, running, or biking and one could go places without getting tired. Stoves allowed one to conveniently be able to turn on and off heat to a cooking utensil with less clean up. The biggest contributor to making our lives easier would be computers, which has come a long way since its introduction to the world. Also, computers have the ability to be improved more, and more in time.
In general, technology started off by comforting our lives. Now, the rapid growth of technology has replaced the need for ones own intellect. To begin with, technology makes us lazy. One no longer writes with pen and paper, or a typewriter, but with a computer program. The use of a computer program eliminates many things such as a rough draft. Because one can make mistakes, fix it without a mess, and then print a final copy, a rough copy is not made. It is also not needed according to these people, yet as many people know, spur of the moment thinking is not nearly as good as a well thought out plan.
Therefore, a rough copy is much better to have, even though most people dont make a rough copy because theyre too lazy. This lethargy is due to the advanced technology of computers. Also, almost all programs are equipped with a spell-check. Spell-check is, in other words, a dictionary without the definition. So, because of spell-check, one wouldnt need to use the dictionary, or is it one would be too lazy to use the dictionary? The use of the internet is also used to cheat. People can look for something to plagiarize across the whole world in less than five minutes. These lazy people just cannot resist this temptation.
This leads me to my next point, with the use of technology, one no longer exercises their mind. Take the spell check for instance, since one has spell check, they dont look up words in the dictionary. Spell check, though, doesnt have definitions, and their might be some replacement words that dont have the same meaning as the word in your sentence. For this reason, one should look it up in the dictionary, which further enhances their knowledge. This relates back to the first point, one should look it up, but they wont because they are just too lazy. Grammar check is also available on these programs.
For that reason, one doesnt even have to write a proper sentence, since the grammar check will fix it. Instead of doing it by themselves, and learning where they went wrong, they let the grammar check fix it. This allows them to get by, by doing basically no work, which means they dont learn. Another reason why people are lazy in the first sub-thesis is that people copy from the internet. When people do this, not only are they proving that theyre lazy, but more importantly, that they are half-witted. They would only do the job because they have to, not because it exercises the mind.
There are many other simple things that also stop us from using our mind, such as television. Television takes the place of newspapers, and this stops us from reading (the newspapers), which is very stimulating to the mind. Furthermore, calculators are in more use than ever. Either people just cannot do simple arithmetic problems in their head, or theyre just lazy. People take much longer to add in their head than they really should. This is because they depend on calculators so much. Finally, in the novel Brave New World, there is proof that technology (which the government controls) controls humans from the time it is in the test tube.
Technology is so good that they can make you highly intelligent or not highly intelligent while you are still an embryo. Mr. Foster says (chapter 1, pg. 11) The lower the caste the shorter the oxygen. This means that one doesnt even have control over your intelligence. You cannot try your best, nor do more work because your intelligence is predetermined. Also, there is no choice as to whether one will allow technology to think for them, since their intelligence is chosen when one is an embryo. Technology is also evident in sleep teaching.
While one is sleeping, a recording is played over and over again. By the time one wakes up, it has been memorized without knowing it. This type of technology allows one to be conditioned without knowing it. There is no opinion of right and wrong, instead, one learns what one is taught. Thus, technology overcomes the ability of one to think. Last, soma proves that one has no control over their mind. Lenina says (Chapter 4, pg. 54) A gramme is better than a dam! When one is feeling sad, they have been conditioned (through sleep teaching) to take a pill, called soma.
Thus, one doesnt have the control to be sad because of soma. Once again, technology has overpowered the use of ones mind. Technology has come a long way, and contributed a lot to the comfort of ones life. However, it comforted society so much that society started to depend on it too much. By depending on it too much, society allowed technology to replace the use of ones mind. Children, who were conditioned to use technology, grew up. These children, who are adults now, dont know how to function without technology since it supersedes their ability to think.
