Emerging Technology and Its Implications Essay Example for Free

Emerging Technology and Its Implications Essay With the increasing attention being accorded to climate change in the mainstream media these days, there is also an increased attention being given to technological solutions to assist in combating the problem. While such solutions are admirable in that they go above and beyond the usual calls for recycling and the purchase of ‘green’ products – which have been proven to be of trivial impact upon the large scale flaws in systems of production and consumption that characterize industrial modernity – not all of them should embraced uncritically. It is only by subjecting every proposal to save the planet to scrutiny that we can determine a truly sustainable future. One of the ideas that has been receiving increasing currency in environmentalist discussions are large scale planetary ‘technofixes’ collectively referred to as geo-engineering or planetary engineering. These include mirrors in space designed to reflect excess amount of sunlight, artificial trees designed to suck carbon out of the atmosphere, and managed release of sulfates into the atmosphere, and many, many other epic plans to manipulate the ecological fabric of our planet.   Here’s the rub: The term geo engineering is a rather questionable one, as it implies that it has the same kind of empirical or mathematical certainty as engineering when it doesn’t. It smoothens over many of the bumps and curves that characterize our problems and demand creative solutions. In effect, planetary salvation becomes as easy as building a tunnel into a hill or a bridge across a river, when in fact our collective understanding of the systemic impacts is far less than the geo engineering promoters would have us believe. One might as well call it ‘planetary experimentation.’ While the potential benefits proposed are of an epic magnitude, this magnitude would also apply to the potential consequences. Take for example a proposal to suck carbon dioxide into the planet’s oceans by seeding it with iron deposits. Many, including the Scientific Steering Committee of the Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) have observed that this has the potential to worsen ocean acidification and lead to catastrophic results for marine ecology: The oceans are complex, dynamic, unpredictable and already vulnerable †¦ We need   [to] build their resilience, not undermine it [not] quick fixes to this global problem that may [cause far more long-term harm] than good. (Gjerde) Additionally, the historical track record of large scale intervention in the name of environmental concern has never been very good to begin with, asserts Alex Steffen of Worldchanging: â€Å"From damming rivers to fighting forest fires to eliminating pests †¦ efforts have †¦ in hindsight [been] so overrun with unintended consequences as to become full-blown disasters, often †¦ worse than the original problems . [And the] cost of errors [increase] with the magnitude of the attempted solution.† (Steffen) Geo engineering is essentially a ‘silver bullet’ solution, one which reduces the political will to creatively retrofit our present lifestyles in such a manner as to be sustainable and environmentally sound, while still being able to enjoy the luxuries of post-industrial advancements. In essence, the tools for a greener world are already here and their downsides are negligible in the face of overwhelming benefits both environmental and societal. In any case, discussion over geo engineering merely provides a distraction from mustering the political will necessary to effect true change. It provides climate change skeptics a justification for political indifference to redressing our present way of life: Why opt for better designed cities, fuel efficient vehicles and profound infrastructural rethinking when we can merely ‘erase’ the effects of our problematic systems? One’s stance on geo engineering is not a question of whether you are a techno utopian or a complete Luddite. However, there is a major distinction to be made between technology that is transparent in agenda, collaborative in nature, and egalitarian in application as well as easy to remedy and technology that is centralized, expensive and difficult to reverse. Between â€Å"Star Wars†    a missile defense system saddled with so much corruption that does nothing to provide for homeland security and nuclear power – a promise of perpetual source of energy whose failures wreaked massive consequences – we ought to regard geo engineering with suspicion: dangerous until proven safe. Geo engineering is unnecessary. â€Å"Fixing† the planet in such a manner is turning a blind eye to the way we live: it shows a lack of innovation and political courage that is necessary to the bright green future.   Works Cited Stiles, Lori. â€Å"Space Sunshade Might Be Feasible In Global Warming Emergency.† NASA Earth Observatory. 3 November 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2006/2006110323537.html Bentley, Molly. â€Å"Guns and sunshades to rescue climate.† BBC News. 2 March 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4762720.stm Gjerde, Kristina. â€Å"Hold back the geo-engineering tide.† BBC News. 11 December 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7133619.stm Romm, Joseph. â€Å"Rule three of offsets: No geo-engineering.† Grist Magazine Online. 27 July 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from:   http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/7/27/144848/844

Depression Essay -- essays research papers

Clinical depression is one of many mental disorders affecting 1 in 10 Americans today. This disorder is characterized by ongoing feelings of sadness and despair which leads to anxiety, agitation, feelings of emptiness, and loss of self-worth. Following these initial symptoms are possible weight loss or gain, insomnia, lack of energy, unusual indecisiveness, and even suicidal thoughts or attempts. There are many possible causes of major depression; however, very often the disease strikes without any triggering cause which leads to a great deal of frustration by the affected person and his or her loved ones. Fortunately, scientists have narrowed the list to three major causes: a first depressive episode caused by a traumatic event, a biochemical disorder, or an inherited disorder. Depression can result from an emotionally or physically stressful incident. This has been termed by psychologists as first depressive episode. Possible causes include the death of a loved one, an abortion or miscarriage, a move to a new home or job, the end of an important relationship, financial problems, a chronic illness, or any other traumatic event. For many people, these incidents produce a mild to moderate case of the blues. They feel "down" for a while, but they are able to continue functioning and performing everyday tasks. Although these people may experience the chemical imbalance that is the hallmark of depression, the brain abnormality typically ...

Internet Censorship Issue Essay

We are exposed to various dangers of the known and unknown kind in this physical world we live in. As such, we are always on the lookout for warning and danger signals regarding problems we may encounter. Our protection from these dangers come in the form of laws, law enforcers, and guidelines that help provide us with a semblance of security and protection. We are protected from unnecessary influences of the mass media by censorship rules designed to temper and minimize the effects of violence, pornography, and other strong yet bad influences on our being. We do not have those safety nets in place, although it is really a necessary precaution, when we use the Internet. This is why I am in favor or Internet filtering in schools and all public libraries. My parents and I are well informed about the dangers posed by unsupervised Internet usage. That is why my parents installed an Internet filtering system in our computer at home. They love me dearly and do not want any harm to come my way nor do they want me to be exposed to anything that could pose a potential danger to my person. But, they cannot spend all their time watching me as I use the Internet for my various activities from day to day. They also do not expect themselves or me to know which disguised websites would be detrimental to myself since all the Internet sites are designed to entice unknowing visitors into their sites. This is why they installed the Internet filter. To act as a back up guide in order for me to informed decisions about which websites will be good to visit and those not fit for people of my age. As such, they put blind faith and trust into the school system hoping that the system also does their part in protecting me from these potential dangers. The school accomplishes this task by installing Internet Filtering programs in the library computers. These programs are designed to aid the school in making sure that student’s library Internet privileges are not abused, nor used for illegal activities such as online gambling and accessing porn sites. The Internet use remains indirectly supervised for the students and the school’s own protection. The Internet has become far more influential than the television in educating the children and allowing them to pursue their interests. It is a learning tool that can help develop a student’s interest and skills just as fast as the wrong Internet exposure can destroy that very same promising student. This is why Internet filtering should become a standard in all school and public library computers across the country.

Karl Marx View on Shame as a Social Emotion - 1312 Words

In Jean-Paul Sartre’s preface to Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth, he asks of a specific reader, (Europeans who were complicit in, or beneficiaries of, colonialism) to, â€Å"Have the courage to read this book, for in the first place it will make you ashamed, and shame, as Marx said, is a revolutionary sentiment†. Here Sartre must be referring to Karl Marx’s 1843 letter to Arnold Ruge regarding the French revolution. Marx says that the despotic government of Germany ought to cause Germans to feel ashamed. He contends that revolutions are not ‘made by shame’, but that ‘shame is a revolution in itself’ as a ‘kind of anger turned in on itself’. For Marx, shame is thus a social emotion. For the purposes of this essay I will investigate how ‘shame’ as defined by Marx here, is a rather pertinent alternative to the notion of guilt, especially concerning postcolonial discourses. I will also recognise the problematic ways in which postcolonial shame can operate as articulated by Sara Ahmed in Declarations of Whiteness, where she argues that the utterance of shame or guilt is non-performative. The recognition of shame – or shame as a form of recognition – comes with conditions and limits, which I will explore through the writings of black feminist writers such as bell hooks, Toni Morrisson and Audre Lorde. I will begin my investigation of the difference between shame and guilt by looking at the film by Steve McQueen, ‘12 Years a Slave’ a film-adaptation of the 1853 memoirShow MoreRelatedAldous Huxley s Brave New World3277 Words   |  14 Pagesthey decide what people s social rank will be before they are even born. With the idea that there can be â€Å"no stability without social stability,† the World Controllers create a very strict social order (Huxley). 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