Peng's final essay

1. Introduction

Science and technology brings huge transformation to several aspects of the world. Since the first and second industrial revolution from the 18th to the19th century, productivity had been increased tremendously via the application of mechanical installation. Economic application of electricity rapidly expedites the industrialization all over the world. The third revolution, happened in the late 19th, is also known as information revolution, or digital age. It developed automation that allowed labor’s working environment more comfortable. Moreover, innovations during this period made the communication among people more convenient. Science and technology may affect other aspects as well, for instance, culture, life style, and health and education. Actually, when benefit has been brought by the development of science and technology, disadvantages also occurred at the same time.

The aim of this essay is to describe the effect that caused by technology focusing on three different aspects, environment, culture and the quality of life. In each part, both advantage and disadvantage will be described separately.

2. The impact of the first industrial revolution

From the 18th to mid-20th century, the industrial revolution, the major changes were in fields of agriculture and social sciences. Creativity rapidly accelerated the development of human civilization.

Innovation is the basis of human development. During the industrial revolution, the appearance of new machines brought many advantages to human life. It has an unimaginative influence to human’s daily life. For instance, in the eighteenth century, the seed drill (a device for sowing seeds effectively) was improved, increasing the productivity on agriculture and liberating the labor from the field to work in the new industrial factories, by a British man called Jethro Tull. Labor was provided with more convenience by moving from rural place to urban. The development in market led to assemble goods, which make people have more convenience to transaction for their vital commodity.


The development not only made changes in technical innovation but also in social sciences. Take economics for example, in the 18th century, Adam smith’s The Wealth of Nations developed a new economic theory. His classical political economic theory “invisible hand (the theory of production, distribution and exchange of goods in a market)” is the basic theory, which the contemporary economists have held till now.

The technology development freed the farmers from farmland to mills, thus made it possible for them to live with higher quality. The new theory made development social science, the new policy leaded to an efficient allocation of the scarce resources.

3. The impact of the second industrial revolution

In the second industrial revolution, which also be called the electrical revolution, the chemical industries, electrical industries and automotive industries were growing dramatically. But the major affection of the electric age was in the area of society and culture.

The application of electrical equipment reduced the distance between people, leading to increase of information transmission speed. Marshall McLuhan (1964) analyzed that the social and cultural impact of the electric age, made a special view that is “global village”. It had major impacted on the communication and educational theory.

4. The negative impact on environment and culture

Although quick development not only benefited people, but also brought much harmful effect on human. Especially, environment and culture were negatively influenced by the quick development.

The use of steam power and internal combustion engines that consumed a substantial amount of fossil fuel was continually destroying the environment. To burn fossil fuel causes severe air pollution. The emission of harmful gas such as, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide was damaging mankind. For instance, in 1952, pollutants from factories and home fireplaces mixed with air condensation killed at least 4,000 people in London.

The transport industry had a large change, the application of railway were allocated production factors effectively. It also enhanced the communication among people whilst. The efficient allocation of resources accelerated the industrialization. The ship industry expends the European activity area from inshore to other continents.

The demand of cheap labor force during the industrial development promoted the slave trade to its peak in the late 18 century. Europeans relied on advanced weapons and shipping technology making the largest number of Africa residents become slave. Ronald Segal (1995) assumed that there were about 12 million Africans being transported to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries. This kind of events significantly impacted on and partly destroyed the culture in Africa.

We are in the digital age (also be known as the information age), the development of internet and computer leads to people absorbing mass information. People may waste their time in picking up the information they actually need. For instance, a number of people may see more junk emails, rather than meaningful mails when they check their email boxes. Furthermore, the abundant pornographies and violence pictures on some website may bring harmful influence on the mental health of teen-agers, and may increase the crime rate as well.

Tremendous development produce the enormous impair on both nature and culture. The emission of noxious gas has killed thousands of lives. The avarice and depredation of some groups of people may bring deserters to millions of innocent lives. The psychology issues occur more frequently during the digital age when comparing with other ones in the past.

Tremendous development produce the enormous impair on nature and culture. The emission of noxious gas has been killed thousands of life. Avarice and depredation has injured innocent life. The psychology problem is filled in this age.

5. Summary

Human’s innovative capability makes changes in different aspect of human life. The industrial revolution brings some negative impact on the aspects of environmental and culture. However it brings lots of benefits to mankind at the same time.

Indeed, innovation increases productivity brings convenience to our life by broadening human knowledge and reducing the distance between each other.
It is hard to balance the positive and negative influence that has been brought about by the development of science and technology.

Technology development results in many aspects of human life and social science. It brings harmful influence on natural environment. Also, it impacts social science development coupled with technological development. With the quick development, the negative effect it needs to be concerned about. To extinct the influence on natural and culture. If we can control the balance properly, then mankind may be improved in a better way, without damaging the natural environment and culture.








Reference:

Air and water pollution, History made every day http://www.history.com/states.do?action=detail&state=Air%20and%20Water%20Pollution&contentType=State_Generic&contentId=58534&parentId=earth
Industrial revolution,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution#Name_history

Ronald Segal (1995). The Black Diaspora: Five Centuries of the Black Experience Outside Africa. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 4. ISBN 0-374-11396-3. "It is now estimated that 11,863,000 slaves were shipped across the Atlantic. [Note in original: Paul E. Lovejoy, "The Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on Africa: A Review of the Literature," in Journal of African History 30 (1989), p. 368.] ... It is widely conceded that further revisions are more likely to be upward than downward."

Marshall McLuhan (1964) Understanding Media, P. 13