Technology Dehumanization

The excerpt Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, is a piece that explores the purpose of life, especially if it isn 't lived to the fullest. Thoreau starts by sharing the meaning and value of life. His idea of his personal achievement was to live life and die with a sense of peace and knowledge that he did not waste a single moment. He wanted to live life while being true to himself regardless of whether he would find life to be cruel or a wonderful place, and this was a risk he was willing to take. In a modern sense we are intrigued by technology. Although those in favor of technology may say that the new devices and applications do not affect human interaction and our way of living we are, are unable to see that, even in a room filled with people, there is an isolation barrier and an inability to live life to the fullest.

Technology, the advancement of knowledge and productivity through the application of tools, information, and techniques to create an effortless process, has ultimately lead to the declination of our society and our future. In “A Thing Like Me,” Nicholas Carr addresses the development of technology from the day it was created and how it initiated an immediate impact within the lives of humans leading to an unhealthy dependency. Carr establishes how technology, what was intended to be a tool, has become the “pacifier” of our generation. This “pacifier” causes a loss of freedom, not through the laws of the government, but rather with the values of freedom one holds within themselves. This freedom is the individuality that distinguishes each person from the next, and forms a desire for the development of oneself through the experiences of life and the wisdom that is acquired along the way. Technology has blinded man from this pursuit of self-enhancement and with the advancement of technology occurring daily, there is no resolution. Each day people are confined within themselves and the pieces of technology that will continually limit them in their lives. Freedom is more than just a concept of laws instilled by the government, it is the thought process found within each individual person and their “hunger” to become more. With technology, social media was created and immediately immersed within our lives. The society of today has

In the modern world, we are increasingly categorized by our technological devices. Our cellphones, cars, and computers define our identities, rather than our bodies. We are losing the ability to amuse ourselves in the outside world. But it is our connection to nature, stripped of technology, which is essential to our individuality, not the programs we watch on television—or the appearance of our cellphones. Bradbury’s dystopian story provides a warning that is clearly not being heeded. Although we may have more technological

“In the last 50 years, up to 100,000 Americans lost their lives due to inactivity leading to some sort of conditional disease such as heart disease [including the laziness within people of society]” (Wise 12). So many people have died from becoming lazy, doing nothing but go on their phones, devices, rather than doing everyday things. Technology has changed the way society approaches life, always depending on it rather than themselves and others. The society today consists of nothing but TV screens, telephone, smartphones, iPads, and items the 19th century would consider a dream to lay hands on. A book written by Bradbury presents lack of effort people put into their lives and society; Bradbury predicts how the future will become later on in the society. Becoming more similar to the laziness and ignorance in the novel, Fahrenheit 451, the society today struggles the society today struggles with dependency on technology which results to lack of social interactions with one another and failure in becoming literate with books.

In his article, “What are People For”, Wendell Berry muses that technological progress serves no purpose in the grand scheme of things, cynically notes that the “higher aims of ‘technological progress’ are money and ease”. By condoning this materialistic outlook of life that afflicts society with a “cultish faith in the future”, Berry urges his audience to consider taking part in a community that appreciates life in the present. Berry heralds truth in his argument that technological advancement, even ones made with good intentions, inevitably contaminates society because it enables twisted misuse of power and serves to strain human relationships.

We as people rely on technology too much by expecting the machine to do something by the click of a button and get angry when the machinery isn’t working. At the beginning technology wasn’t thought of too much but at this point technology is getting people addicted from kids to the elderly.

“As cities grow and technology takes over the world, belief and imagination fade away, and so do we”(Julie Kagawa). While technology spreads and completely takes over one’s life, the electronic wave cannot be tamed. Once society fails to take control of their lives over technology, they lose contact with our loved ones and reality, as well as the ability to think for one’s self. In the dystopian world from Fahrenheit 451 technology is found everywhere, and the people highly depend on it to do hard work for them or for entertainment purposes. Bradbury illustrates a society that has lost the ability to enjoy life without technology through a variety of characters that rely on unnatural and modern objects to fill the void of an emotionless society.

He references the story of the Oji-Cree people, nomads who relied very little on technology. It was not until the nineteen-sixties, when technology, such as engines and electricity, was introduced to them. After this advancement, the threat of dying in the winter due to starvation was eliminated; however, obesity and diabetes emerged throughout the population. This raises the question of whether the technology caused more harm than good. He presents this story to model how our society is not much different, “When it comes to technologies, we mainly want to make things easy. Not to be bored. Oh, and maybe to look a bit younger” (Wu 4). Technology, while intended to help us, allows us to be lazy as a society, which introduces a whole new set of problems. He furthers his point by saying that we are “comfort-seeking missiles” (Wu 4). This theory causes the reader to reflect on themselves to notice if they have fallen victim to the misuse of technology. By inserting this study into his article Wu is able to persuade the reader to agree with

At what point will society place a dependence upon technological advancements rather than the curiosity and interactions of mankind? With the constant acceleration of improvements within technology and any piece of information readily available many authors, artists, and individuals question the natural world as each generation more elaborately explores the innovative approaches towards science and technology. E.M. Forster’s short story, “The Machine Stops,” is based upon a fear of the technological revolution, and it introduces the audience to a utopian society facing multiple forms of isolation as a result of his society reaching complete dependence upon the technology of the Machine. The society’s reliance upon the Machine creates a divide between those who display an adoration and worship towards the Machine versus citizens who prevail and fight for their individual freedom. E.M. Forster illustrates the role he foresees technology to play in the end of human civilization through an exaggerated vision of the effects that technology leaves on our lives, which helps the audience to better understand our present day society properly.

“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master,” said Christian Lous Lane. Technology is a powerful tool and as society continues to grow, the controversy over technology will become more of an argued topic. Two stories, “Harrison Bergeron” and “The Pedestrian”, demonstrate the negative impact of technology on individuality.

In both “The Pedestrian”, by Ray Bradbury, and “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut jr, citizens are controlled by technology. In this essay I will be talking about how technology has destroyed their societies. In both The Pedestrian and Harrison Bergeron their society has everyone do the same thing all the time that they cannot do anything different and is against the law. For example, in The Pedestrian the most simplest things such as walking can get you arrested because it’s not normal.

In the memoir “Night” by Elie Wiesel, experiences of trauma and dehumanization are vividly portrayed. This text explores the idea that dehumanization is (quite often) a result of trauma as it can cause a sense of detachment between the perpetrator and the victim. Perpetrators are led to feel as if they are causing harm towards insignificant or inanimate objects rather than towards other human beings while victims are made to feel as if they are inhuman objects. The memoir “Night” serves to support the idea that dehumanization is a consequence of trauma as it demonstrates the objectification of both the victim and the perpetrator, the isolation forced upon the victims and the

One feature of society is that is is ever changing, rapidly expanding and developing new technology to advance the society as a whole and to make individual lives easier. Yet Thoreau questions this rapid advancement of society, going so far as to conclude that "We don't ride the railroads; it rides upon us" (Thoreau 1883). Ultimately, society's obsession with advancement has allowed advancement to usurp peoples' lives so that they are only slaves to building new technology and increasing the amount of luxury goods they can enjoy (Thoreau 1883). And those who build the railways suffer from the dangerous and hard labor they must perform in the name of convenience. Society has a danger of putting people onto treadmills, enslaved by the very society meant to help them while losing the individual's identity and being labeled as another worker, like in Melville's paper

In today's society there is no escape from technology. We are completely submerged in our iPhone, ipads, computers, and gaming systems. These gadgets give us the opportunity to be connected to each other and the rest of the world at all times. But, this is not a glorious step in history. Technology blinds us from the real world. As John Tudor said, “Technology makes it possible for people to gain control over everything, except technology.” We may run our lives with the help of our iPhones and computers, but do these forms of technology in turn control us? At first glance these new advances are greater steps to making our lives easier. But, when examined closely a large portion of technology is the cause of many problems in our society.

Thoreau, an opinionated and respected author, made the assertion that our technological society is an indication of our materialistic values. Modern society is heavily dependent on technology and comfortable with their adapted materialism. In many cases, the dependency on material items is unhealthy or is an obstacle. However, many technological advancements, such as the cell phone, are useful in emergencies and in communication. Numerous technological inventions allow people to do beautiful things, such as take pictures or share their knowledge publically with the world. There does come a point where cell phones should be put down, conversation should be made, and people should remember to remain humble.