Asri-unix.661
net.space
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ARPAVAX:C70:sri-unix!JPM@SU-AI
Sat Jan 30 23:23:52 1982
Technologists vs Humanists
First, apoligies to everyone on SPACE for discussing what is probably
not an appropiate topic for this list. But since the subject came up...
Saying technology is more important than the humanities is stupid, since
technology, the APPLICATION of scientific knowledge, has to be directed
by social goals determined by the study of the humanities (and social
"sciences"). However, saying humanities is more important than
technology is equally stupid, since man is, above all else, a TECHNOLOGICAL
animal. Our use of tools, more than anything else, has contributed to
our current state of civilization. Trying to understand Man without his
tools (please, no comments on sexist language!) is a fruitless endevour
that will ultimately lead to failure.
One problem we face is that there are significant numbers of people who
believe that technology, in and of itself, can solve all problems. This
is wrong, since those very problems CANNOT be defined or specified by
a strict examination of technological alternatives (although some constraints
as to what is physically possible can be supplied by technology) - one
MUST appeal to the knowledge lodged in the study of Man, the humanities.
Another problem we face is the presence of a large number of people who
believe that Man's tools and his tool making capacity should be
ignored when examining the proper role of our race in the universal
scheme of things. One cannot make ANY decisions about what Man should
do or should become without examining how Man interacts with the
physical Universe - and this is the domain of Science and Technology.
Frankly, I have no doubts that there are far more people causing the
second problem than the first. At least most technologists believe
that they SHOULD be aware of the Humanities, while many poeple
in the Humanities feel no obligation to understand the first
principles of Science and Technology. So while we need more people
knowledgable in both areas, the lack of technological understanding
among the people studying the Humanities seems to be the most
severe problem we are currently facing.
Jim
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