Do you believe the human-race deserves the use of the technology avalible to them?

[Bugz]

Was a thought mid-RS lesson ^^.

With all the religious wars, youth-culture, gang-wars, poverty and the such in the world, do you think the human-race as a whole really deserve the technolgy we have avalible to us?

Should we be able to launch rockets into space even though we have problems fighting poverty?

Is it right that we can design nuclear weapons yet we still have a violent youth culture existing in certain countries?

In my opinion, we DON'T deserve the technology. A lot of Americans will be buying new consoles this year, new technolgy designed primarily for the entertainment industry. If we stopped christmas this year and stopped the children and adults receiving new-found technology, poverty would never occur on the planet ever again.

Yet, we still judge technology as something far greater than many other pressing issues...

Are people in hope that some day we'll have enough technology to change poverty at the click of a button? To stop religious wars at the click of a button?

/Discuss

 

[Ormorof]

how is someone not getting an x-box or whatever for christmas going to feed anyone? please explain the economics behind that one

 

[Gamah]

Think he means divert the money.

 

[noblok]

The question is a bit too open for me to say anything about it. Obviously not all humans don't deserve any kind of technology, so let's narrow it down a bit.

Humans: Which social, territorial, religious, ... groups?
Technology: Which technologies? Military, medical, information, entertainment, ...?
Deserve: When do you deserve something? What do you have to do in order to deserve something?


Slightly off-topic: what religious wars are you talking about?

 

[Bugz]

I thought it'd be easy to get what I meant

Basically, if the cash spent on ONE x-mas in america was transfered to stopping poverty, it would be stopped forever.

 

[Ormorof]

Think he means divert the money.

throwing money at a problem doesnt really work, to solve the issue of poverty would take many many years as the infrastructure of the poorer countries would need to be vastly improved (ie roads, hospitals, education etc), money would help implement these changes but then you have to consider alot of these countries are extremely corrupt (due to one nasty human attribute called greed ) and so a large part of any money thrown at the problem would simply dissapear or be diverted into things not really useful for eliminating poverty (such as the military)

its going to take more than one missed christmas to wipe out poverty is all im saying

 

[fl3a]

I thought it'd be easy to get what I meant

Basically, if the cash spent on ONE x-mas in america was transfered to stopping poverty, it would be stopped forever.

how? if you buy xmas presents for 1000 dollars, and instead of buying presents give it to some hobo - how the hell will that help him never become poor again?

 

[Bugz]

The question is a bit too open for me to say anything about it. Obviously not all humans don't deserve any kind of technology, so let's narrow it down a bit.

Humans: Which social, territorial, religious, ... groups?
Technology: Which technologies? Military, medical, information, entertainment, ...?
Deserve: When do you deserve something? What do you have to do in order to deserve something?


Slightly off-topic: what religious wars are you talking about?

Well, since I don't want to hurt my brain too much with going into sub-groups, I simply used technology and human-race was a overall view of the situation.

I'm talking technology generally. Medical technology is ofcourse very good but spaceships/gaming consoles/multi-purpose computers/electrolysis generators etc. are being used constantly and yet, even having these vital pieces of equipment, we still have simple problems to do with like poverty.

As for deserving, I'd say from a 'have we earnt it' situation.

Religious wars talking in the context of past and present, such as the Catholics vs. Protestents and the situations that occured in Israel etc.

 

[Bugz]

how? if you buy xmas presents for 1000 dollars, and instead of buying presents give it to some hobo - how the hell will that help him never become poor again?

The cash from american xmas is taken from americans and invested into poor countries. This gets rid of poverty due to the extreme amounts of the cash.

@ Ormorof, the point ISN'T on where it goes to. I'm not turning this into a debate on poverty-funds. I'm merely using it as an example of how technology expenses in one year to the general public can help worldwide issues that have occured for hundreds of years.

 

[noblok]

Basically, if the cash spent on ONE x-mas in america was transfered to stopping poverty, it would be stopped forever.

How so? Do you really think that a huge one-time donation would change the structural problems? Capitalism creates poverty, without social security it will always exist. I also think that a capitalist system cannot make enough money to support a social security which makes sure poverty doesn't exist.

(note: That last point is an opinion. I haven't studied it, so if you can show me some economic reports proving that it is possible, I'll gladly change my opinion)

Well, since I don't want to hurt my brain too much with going into sub-groups, I simply used technology and human-race was a overall view of the situation.

Then I disagree. I think that at least some people deserve the use of at least some technologies.

As for deserving, I'd say from a 'have we earnt it' situation.

That's just a synonym though? What do you have to do to earn the use of technology?

 

[Ormorof]

The cash from american xmas is taken from americans and invested into poor countries. This gets rid of poverty due to the extreme amounts of the cash.

@ Ormorof, the point ISN'T on where it goes to. I'm not turning this into a debate on poverty-funds. I'm merely using it as an example of how technology expenses in one year to the general public can help worldwide issues that have occured for hundreds of years.

but its a flawed argument, as its not just money thats needed

its like giving someone stranded in a desert a cheque for a million dollars, he'd probably much rather have a bottle of water than the money, cos you cant eat money

 

[Bugz]

Ormorof, your argueing against the nature of this thread. This ISN'T a discussion on poverty and how you turn cash into food etc.

and Blokkie, I was hoping to leave it for people to argue as they see fit. Not to have me writing replies to questions so people can develop a view.

Just write what you think plz! ^^

 

[Ormorof]

Ormorof, your argueing against the nature of this thread. This ISN'T a discussion on poverty and how you turn cash into food etc.

and Blokkie, I was hoping to leave it for people to argue as they see fit. Not to have me writing replies to questions so people can develop a view.

Just write what you think plz! ^^

If we stopped christmas this year and stopped the children and adults receiving new-found technology, poverty would never occur on the planet ever again.

i do agree there are some slightly frivolous uses for technology that could probably be better spent elsewhere, but once you stop people from using things how they want to use them where does it end?

 

[noblok]

Ormorof, your argueing against the nature of this thread. This ISN'T a discussion on poverty and how you turn cash into food etc.

Your example isn't correct though. I think what he's getting at is that what's needed people spending less money on technology, but political action. This means that poverty isn't really an argument as to why we don't deserve the use of technology as even without that, it would still exist.

and Blokkie, I was hoping to leave it for people to argue as they see fit. Not to have me writing replies to questions so people can develop a view.

I'm just trying to find out why you think humans (as a whole) don't deserve the use of technology (as a whole). I haven't thought much about this problem and to be honest, it's rather complex to just come up with a theory out of nowhere. That's why I'm trying to understand your point of view, so I can say where I (don't) agree in order to get a discussion going .

 

[snushanen]

I think technology is great. I will most likely spend my life resarching for new technology if i get in to the schools i whant.

I think technology has nothing to do with hunger and poverty, thats more a question of money, resorces and governments. The big problem in many poor countries today is not the lack of money, not the lack of resorces, its the government. how the country is ruled, how the resorces are spendt, how the industry is build etc etc. I think maybe money could help a little to build up the industry in some countries. But no matter how much money we trow at them, countries will ALWAYS be poor and shitty under dictators, military regimes and local warlords

And is developing consoles bad because people can spend money on them instead of food to the poor? If we didnt develop the console, then rich people would use their money on other things, like electristy, and if we didnt develop that either, rich people would spend money on silk cloths etc, and if we didnt build ships that could bring us silk and we lived in the medieval burning chicks because they were witches, then we would realy miss the technology.

This last part is kinda unrealstic but my point is, rich people wil always spend their money on things they dont need at all to survive, when many of us here was kids we took a console for granted while kids in other countries cant take food or shelter for granted. BUT its not the consoles "fault". Rich people has always and will always spend their money on entertainment and stuff poor people dont even dream of because their dream about food is even greater.

 

[Thorwyn]

I don´t know if we deserve the technology we got, simply because it´s a hypothetical question with no real relevance. We got it and now we have to deal with the consequences.
However, from a practical POV, technology also creates wealth. Since you mentioned the X-Box, I`ll pick up that example: take away the X-Box and the result would be millions of unemployed people all over the world. Modern society and technology are some form of symbiosis. If we want to solve the problems in this world, we need the technology.

 

[noblok]

Taking into account Snushanen's point, the question should probably be changed to "Should people spend money on luxury goods?". This raises a new problem though: not only is "deserving" a very vague concept, so is "luxury". To what level of medical care could you go before calling it luxury, for example?

If people couldn't spend their money on luxury goods though, there would be a lot of people unemployed, as Thorwyn mentioned. However, the money that people would've spent on those luxury goods could still go to those now unemployed people through a social security system. Everything taken into account, there would be a lot of free money though. This could be used for improving the quality of life of other humans, which I think is what Bugz' getting at.

 

[Huntingtons]

ofc we deserve it, we evolved into the beings we are that have the brain capacity to create it.

 

[Morchaoron]

Humans have no inherent rights in this universe, it is a concept unknown to creation itself, our minds came up with that concept and we fight existence constantly to claim and keep our rights to do whatever we want to do in this reality...

so yes, aslong as we can do it we deserve it...

 

[noblok]

so yes, aslong as we can do it we deserve it...

Including (the right to) murder?

 

[Thorwyn]

If people couldn't spend their money on luxury goods though, there would be a lot of people unemployed, as Thorwyn mentioned. However, the money that people would've spent on those luxury goods could still go to those now unemployed people through a social security system. Everything taken into account, there would be a lot of free money though. This could be used for improving the quality of life of other humans, which I think is what Bugz' getting at.

But the catch is, that people would rather buy luxury goods and simultaneously spend the money to "feed" the people who made the goods than just pay for their Kebap with the money they earn. I mean... that´s the reason why we got homeless people in our civilized and modern countries. There´s no point in artificially creating "money sinks" (please don´t take this as cynism) based on of semi-ethical arguments.
Luxury is an important aspect of life. As soon as I want to have a cushion instead of a pile of straw, I´m longing for luxury. Clean, fresh water is luxury. The ability to travel reasonably fast so I can visit my friends or family is luxury. If you take all this away, our system would collapse.

 

[Morchaoron]

Including (the right to) murder?

ofcourse... the universe doesnt give a shit about who lives or dies, it ever presented you with a book on what you are not allowed to do?
but not so fast! humans have the nasty habit of claiming the right to punish you when you murder someone, so better think before you act

 

[Thorwyn]

um.. call me strange, but I don´t give a damn about my rights and responsibilities in conjunction with the universe. Whether I decide to kill someone or not is purely based upon the concept of respecting the life of the other person. That´s how ethic works. The universe doesn´t play any role whatsoever in that question.

 

[Amildin]

Poverty cant be solved with money, stupid thread tbh

 

[Morchaoron]

um.. call me strange, but I don´t give a damn about my rights and responsibilities in conjunction with the universe. Whether I decide to kill someone or not is purely based upon the concept of respecting the life of the other person. That´s how ethic works. The universe doesn´t play any role whatsoever in that question.

Its not about deciding whether you do it or not (ethics), its about if you can!

So yes, we have this technology, some may find it unethical to use it, others may find it unethical to take it away, but in the end, we made this technology possible and we deserve it (as a human race), how we use it is a ethical thing, but we as a race have certainly deserved it!

 

[Thorwyn]

Ah ok.. then we actually agree. I was just a bit confused about the introduction of the universe.

 

[Morchaoron]

Ah ok.. then we actually agree. I was just a bit confused about the introduction of the universe.

that is because the title is... strange Oo

 

[noblok]

But the catch is, that people would rather buy luxury goods and simultaneously spend the money to "feed" the people who made the goods than just pay for their Kebap with the money they earn. I mean... that´s the reason why we got homeless people in our civilized and modern countries. There´s no point in artificially creating "money sinks" (please don´t take this as cynism) based on of semi-ethical arguments.

True. That's how it is, the question is: is this ethically correct? I'm not judging here, by the way. As I said before, it's too complicated for me to really take a position in this debate. I'm just trying to clear things up (even if only for myself), because it's all pretty vague to me .

So yes, we have this technology, some may find it unethical to use it, others may find it unethical to take it away, but in the end, we made this technology possible and we deserve it (as a human race), how we use it is a ethical thing, but we as a race have certainly deserved it!

So I misunderstood you, I can live with above quote. I interpretted Bugz' question as of ethical nature (i.e. "Should we use/spend money on technology?"), hence the confusion. It's why I asked a more detailled explanation of what it meant to "deserve" something, as vague concepts lead to misunderstandings, such as this one .

 

[Morchaoron]

The cash from american xmas is taken from americans and invested into poor countries. This gets rid of poverty due to the extreme amounts of the cash.

The world would be a very romantic place if it was THAT easy...
As long as the people in these countries don't change their (generally) fucked up mentality, there is no amount of money in the world that will rid them of their poverty...

 

[Bugz]

Poverty cant be solved with money, stupid thread tbh

Thank you for your contribution.

Take a look at the thread title.

Thank you.