Silence And The Notion Of The Commons, By Ursula Franklin

Everyday we hear about the astounding technological advances discovered year after year. Thirty years ago, who would have thought that we would soon be able to communicate with a person half way around the world through a computer? The possibilities of technology are endless and beyond belief, but are these possibilities always beneficial in society, or are they causing more harm then help? Authors Pete Hamill, Grant Fjermedal and Roger Rosenblat take a look at certain forms of technology and the beneficial and detrimental aspects that have and will come from its advances.

Close your eyes, Now imagine the world without all the technology we have today. Hard to imagine right? Anyone born in the Twenty-first century has grown to know modern technology. From the printing press to the iPhone 7, We have all used and grown accustomed to the benefits of modern technology.

Throughout the evolution of mankind, we made discoveries that change the way we live our lives today. Over time, these breakthroughs demonstrate the progress succumbed by the human race as challenges arise. Nevertheless, technology is a significant factor to the progress in today's world. If there was no tech then there would be no cell phones. Cell phones are one of those vital pieces of tech we use frequently. Tech is always around us. Humans create things to make life easier and resolve a once difficult task at hand. Moreover, inventions brought up in the past make the present and future bigger and brighter because of how much simpler life becomes. Because of the technological advancements

In reading Garrett Hardin’s “The Tragedy of the Commons,” and through my participation in the Kivulini Simulation lab completed in class, my knowledge and understanding of the psychological factors that contribute to the logic behind the decisions made by humans that negatively impact the planet we inhabit have significantly expanded. Many of these decisions are made out of ignorance, while others are made despite knowledge of the harm that results from them. There are some ways that I can apply this knowledge to my life in order to contribute to the effort to preserve this planet in the hopes of allowing it to sustain future generations.

From waking up to an alarm clock in the morning, to texting our friends during the day, to using an electric toothbrush at night, we have all relied on the use of technology. Today, technology has become an essential part of most people’s everyday lives. With the rapid growth of technology, we are continually discovering new ways to make our lives faster and simpler. However, there have been many debates regarding how these new methods have concerning side affects. A lot of concern is shown on our societies dependency upon these new innovations; our inability to cope with life without these useful but not necessary tools.

In the world there are many different and developing types of technology that can offer many benefits, but at the same time cause many problems. Technology comes in many shapes and sizes and does many different things. Whether it’s a house that can do everything for its inhabitants , or a device that can make the paralyzed walk again, society is moving forward in the world of technology although it may be controversial.

One of the largest of these arguments today’s society sparks from the rapid increase in the world’s population. Many viewpoints on this debate exist, and two views in particular contradict each other. These viewpoints include those of Garret Hardin and Julian L. Simon. Hardin’s view is expressed in “The Tragedy of the Commons,” and Simon’s in “More People, Greater Wealth, More Resources, Healthier Environment.” These debate problems and solutions of the growing population, including the use of natural resources in order to supply the world’s growing population.

“In the 20th century, we had a century where at the beginning of the century, most of the world was agricultural and industry was very primitive. At the end of that century, we had men in orbit, we had been to the moon, we had people with cell phones and colour televisions and the Internet and amazing medical technology of all kinds.” These are the words of David Gerrold, an American writer. His words show how much the world’s technology has grown. The world has entered an information and technology era. This means new information and ideas are spread every day, along with new technologies continuously rolling out. Many students now carry their own tablets (or sometimes laptops) distributed to them through their schools, or are allowed to bring

Technology is used on a daily basis to accomplish specific tasks or interests. Modern technology increases human capabilities and this technology has evolved with years. Technology simplifies life in so many ways and everyone defines technology in their own way. They’re new types of technology on the market, this technology simplifies our daily lives. They’re endless demands as consumers of technology, people use technology to accomplish simple tasks every day. Technology’s used in business, education, communication, healthcare, entertainment and so much more. There’s an unquestionable impact of technology on society. Whether considering the plow, vaccinations, or the internet, technology has had a huge impact on society. While not every advance benefits society, there’s many positive effects of technology. Modern technology makes life more convenient now more than ever. Modern technologies like broadband internet makes it possible to access relevant information at any time anywhere. Today’s technology makes it simple for students to learn from anywhere through online education and mobile education, which improves the education system. It also improves the health system, most hospitals have implemented modern technology in surgical rooms, which may reduce the number of mistakes made by doctors. Modern technology’s more convenient than when it was simpler because, it provides an easy way to access information, improves the education system, and it improves the health system.

The tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action are two key concepts in the world of political science. They act under the assumption that man is a rational being who will act in his own self interest. Humanity id broadly diverse meaning that each individual has their own ideas as to how society should run and how people should live.(heywood) This inevitably results in disagreement and this is where politics steps in. Aristotle described politics as the ‘master science’, ‘the activity through which human beings attempt to improve their lives and create the Good Society.’ Through the tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action we can see how politics is essentially the ‘search for conflict resolution’

“What is technology?” Have you ever marveled about the prominence of technology in our day-to-day lives? If you ever have, you have undoubtedly appreciated its complexity and its capability to make everyday responsibilities easier for yourself. For example, you probably admire how cellphones have completely eradicated the old-fashioned method of communicating, by sending mail to friends and relatives. Or how the invention of laptops and computers have brought up a new, more efficient method to stay in touch with the world, though the internet, rather than the previous method of newspapers. However, all these basic ideas of the importance of technology are ideas of what technology has done for you, and can be completely different for others. Have you ever wondered what technology has done for others, perhaps people not in the same circumstances as you, perhaps of a different age, religion, race, gender, or socio-economic status than you? Maybe you haven’t, but Microsoft, a leading technological superpower, certainly have wondered about this as seen in their “Empowering” ad.

Technology has played an integral part in shaping society in many different ways. Throughout history, technological inventions have changed everything from the way humans are clothed and fed to the very ways we communicate and interact as a species. Examining the effects technology has on society illustrate both how technology shapes culture and society and how society can affect future technology. This can be seen by examining a few of the major technological innovations in human history followed by a look at a new technology and how it may shape future society.

The evolution of technology has changed society in both positive and negative ways. People all over the world use and benefit from modern technology. Technology has simplified the access to many tools people need in education, medicine, communication, transportation, etc. However, using it too often has its drawbacks as well. In most cases, the time of finishing projects is cut by more than half with the help of technology. Many people do not realize that technology has its negative affects society as well, and its rapid advances has changed life for worse in a number of different ways.

Few decades ago, clean water was “commons” (Hardin, 1968) to us. It was a natural resource shared by everyone and not owned by anyone. This “commons” was taken for granted to the extent that people exploit clean water without considering its finiteness. Resorts and factories dumped wastewater and ruined nearby rivers and oceans. People carelessly littered garbage and substituted the dirty water with diminishing clean water. They definitely benefited in terms of financial cost and comfort from their negligence. However, those individual interests ended up bringing severe water pollution, attacking our collective interest of public health and well-being. In this vein, water pollution is undeniably the “Tragedy of the Commons” (Hardin, 1968). Following these dire circumstances, water purification techniques and systems have been further developed and become widespread. Yet, the technical measurements have not quite fundamentally solved the problem. What is needed at this point is people’s will and practical action to improve the environment. However, merely hoping and encouraging people to do so are not enough. In order to have a steady support from people, we need a practical device for a “mutual coercion” (Hardin, 1968) to earn consent to coercion necessary to amend the situation. In this paper, I am going to address the technical and individual effort for water pollution and its limitation, and suggest a way to complement this limitation through a device on an institutional

Living in today’s age it’s easy to forget that “technology” didn’t always mean mobile phones, televisions, laptops, internet etc. For thousand years, it was the means by which people secured food and shelter. Along with the language, religion and social culture technology is a part of our life. The history of technology begins with the Stone Age together with need of expanding exploring agriculture, industrialisation, transportation, medicine, warfare and computers. We can write for hours about technologies but let’s have a look closer on one of the topics. Computers have become a big part of our everyday live. The definition of computer was first used in 1613 and it was describing a human who performed calculations of