Prevail

30311 조미건(Cho Mi Geon)

Human life is becoming more comfortable and high-qualified than the past because of the technological development.  The efforts to make new and creative inventions which make human life better are being put forth by not only scientists and inventors but only by common people who use their inconvenient experiences as motivations of the original inventions.

A telephone, invented by Graham Bell, first became an essential item for every home around the world, and then recently technologically more advanced form of it, a cell phone, has appeared.

A plane, by Wright Brothers, has upgraded into passenger planes which carry thousands of people from place to place in tremendously shorter time compared to the conventional transportations. In medical aspects, many kinds of new medicines and technological machines appeared to save and cure patients suffering various kinds of diseases. Of course, there are still some incurable diseases, but many doctors and scientists keep researching for solutions letting the patients escape from the prison of malign diseases. As you have seen, the technologies have developed in favor of the human race.

However, some negative aspects exist, too. For example, a high-tech gadget, cell phone, could be used as a tool of crimes. There has been a new kind of crime recently using a cell phone. Some crazy people randomly send junk texts to strangers, doing various illegal things to innocent victims. In addition, greatly-developed weapons like guns, bombs and even nuclear weapons made the world more dangerous place, wounding and killing a number of people around the world. As for the medical part, even though many doctors and scientists are trying to discover medicines to cure incurable diseases, new epidemics are often reported, and the side effects of the new medicine are sometimes not known until it causes severe symptoms.

Technologies are regarded as miracles to some people who really need it; however, some other people think the technological development is a social evil doing some damages to the people. In my opinion, these negative views for the technologies are working as a way of improving the technologies into better use in the future.

The book, ‘Radical Evolution’ is all about the technological development. Contents of the book are divided into three groups largely, Heaven, Hell, and Prevail. On the Prevail scenario, through thinking and joining opinions with others; people could not only prevent some disasters but also live productively and prosperously. Therefore, even though there are some mistakes and misunderstandings among people and largely among the countries, all those things are for human races’ better future. I believe in the Prevail scenario, which insists human should choose everything for their good and wonderful future.

Technological Development and Prevail

Human who lives in present day, wants to live a truly human life. And some people in the world think that life is made by high technological skills. Because no matter how the level of human´s skill gets higher, some weaknesses also starts to appear. However, the good news is, many scientists and technologists work much harder than before to improve the merit of the technology and make up for the weak points. People, including myself, believe that those technologies will lead us to utopia where every people has a dream to live once with no anxious, no wars, no poverty and no sadness.

A book, ‘A world of Ideas’, shows readers many famous people’s essays with particular subjects like ‘Government’, ‘Justice’, ‘Education’, ‘Wealth and Poverty’, ‘Mind’, ‘Nature’, ‘Ethics and Morality’, ‘Feminism.’ Among those high quality essays, there is one essay that the ideas of author are related to my essay topic.

Martha C. Nussbaum is a professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago. She is famous for her philosophical ideas and literature. Especially she has a special interest in literature. Her essay, ‘The Central Human Functional Capabilities’, is also a part of ‘A World of Ideas.’

In the essay, ‘The Central Functional Capabilities’, Nussbaum’s argument is divided into two parts. ‘The first part defines the capabilities that she sees as essential for a person to live truly human life’(‘A World of Ideas’, 211). She argues in this book that it is very important that human has their rights to live as a human seriously, and for making and keeping the truly human life, technology is one of the necessities. As all people know, a man can’t live without machines grafted on to the advanced technologies. In these days, people can’t live without a cell phone, a computer, a  car, and many other electrical devices.

 Her second argument is that, ‘It is possible to measure governments in terms of their making capabilities available to their citizens’(‘A World of Ideas’, 211). Of course, this argument is true. Advancing technology is for the citizens’ lives as well as for the nations. To every nation, having strong and high-leveled technological skills in any field make the economy stronger, and strong images of the nation.

   Martha C. Nussbaum and I have similar opinions about the technological development, because Nussbaum insists that the advancement of human life should be based on the technological development. So, even though there are some mistakes while upgrading the technological skills, it would turn out to be helpful for the human race at last. Of course, upgrading the technology has provoked many controversial issues. There always have been pros and cons about the issue. However, I believe that revealing negative aspects of the technology is also a step of improving the technologies to reach higher level.

   Jaron Lanier is a computer scientist, a composer, a visual artist, and an author. Lanier lamented how unpopular this “Prevail Scenario” is. It’s much like a third-party in the United States. To the pro-technology side, any belief that refers ‘not all technologies are perfect’ is heresy. To the opposite side, any  that refers technology serves any positive usage is heresy as well. In the book, ‘Radical Evolution’, Jaron Lanier said, ‘Technology would not be in control. It would not be on rails, inexorably deciding human affairs. At the same time, the outcome would definitely involve radical change. I call visions like this The Prevail Scenario’(‘Radical Evolution’, 196). Therefore, I just want to say, “We must make sure we choose the technologies benefit us.”

   To make a connection among Martha C. Nussbaum’s, Jaron Lanier’s and my opinion, we have to choose the technologies that would benefit us to live our truly human life, and that is the ‘Prevail Scenario,’ in the famous book, ‘Radical Evolution.’

   Current issues with Prevail

   There are many hot issues about a word, ‘Prevail.’ and of course, this word is quite related to technological problems. For the first example, a dog is in the middle of controversy recently. However, this dog is not a normal one like the other dogs. On September 11^th, 2001, the New York World Trade Center was terrorized by the Al Qaeda, a notorious Middle-East region terrorist group.  In the terrible disaster, many people were buried wounded severely or killed under the destroyed building. A rescue dog, named Trek, found and saved many more people than any other rescue dogs. So Trek was always called as a ‘Hero Dog of the United States.’ Unfortunately, because he inhaled strong poison gas at the tragic site, Trek had been suffering a terrible aftermath until he died 8 years ago. Many people felt sad and thankful at the same time to this brave rescue dog, Trek. The people really wanted to have him back.

Therefore many people screamed with happiness when Trek literally came back to the citizens of America. One of the famous Korean scientists, Hwang Woo-Suk, cloned the Trek with the dog’s DNA. According to the Internet newspaper, ‘Yonhap News Agency’, “Cloned Trek will start his life as a rescue dog just like the real Trek.”

 Bringing a brave and smart rescue dog back to life as a clone will be very helpful to human life. The dog will help the people to live safely to achieve truly human life. And moreover, as saving the rescue dog which was a consolation and vanity of American people, many people are healed their psychological wound and lived affirmative lives. This is the best decision and the best cloning technology which benefits us a lot. Even though still there are lots of controversial problems of cloning living creature, cloning the best rescuing dog is the best choice for the human lives.

   Second current issue is about energy. Recently, the amount of fossil fuels decreased a lot and it’s the time that men have to worry about finding new sources of energy. One of those new sources is solar energy. At first, of course, it didn’t work well, and for many following years, the solar energy has been improved much more than the first time.

A picture on the left side is showing the technical machines of solar energy. This wonderful solar energy will be upgraded more and supply lots of electrical energy to the houses, companies, and factories. The ‘ZD Net Korea’, wrote in an article that “In 2050, the solar energy will be popularized and commercialized much more than now. The solar energy will take 25% of total output energy.” This situation is also one of the ‘Prevail Scenario.’ because at first many people disagreed and thought negatively about constructing solar energy. They thought it wouldn’t help conserving fossil fuel energy resources. At the very first time, it didn’t work well and that made people to distrust about this epochal system. There were many mistakes during the works of studying solar energy. However, right now and in the future, the solar energy will be the human’s main energy resources thanks to the high-leveled technologies. This work may have great benefits producing large amount of energies in the future. Solar energy is for the truly human life. This example is one of the best representative instances to support ‘Prevail Scenario.’

Past, Present, and Future

Once, men lived with difficulty because their technology was poor. Coming closer to the present day, many sides of technologies were upgraded, developed and discovered. During the growth of technologies, there were lots of struggles between pros and cons in accepting new style of technologies. Mostly, the new skills were accepted and still are being used despite the fact that the advanced skills may have some faults. In present days, many scientists and technologists do not stop researching and agonizing about the problems and trying to improve the technologies for truly human life as Martha C. Nussbaum said. Humans have their own rights to pursue the real meaning of human life, and to make the idealistic human life, technologies should be based on it. As Jaron Lanier quoted “We must make sure we choose the technologies the benefit us.” Our choice could make the future life better or worse. However, the ‘Prevail Scenario’ in the book, ‘Radical Evolution’, said, humans always choose for their wonderful future and due to their choice the world will always move to good direction. I believe that the scenario is right and I think the prevail mind gives me an optimistic view of future through the technological development.

Reference

<Books>

- Martha C. Nussbaum, ‘The Central Functional Capabilities’ in Lee A. Jacobus ‘A World of Ideas’ pg. 209-221

- Joel Garreau, ‘Radical Evolution’- ‘Prevail’ pg. 186-225

<Newpaper>- Internet

- Kim Gil-Won(Reporter), Yonhap News Agency, 2009-06-18 10:00

(http://news.naver.com/main/hotissue/read.nhn?mid=hot&sid1=105&cid=303946&iid=95304&oid=001&aid=0002721031&ptype=011)

- ZD Net Korea, 2009-06-17 08:21

(http://news.naver.com/main/hotissue/read.nhn?mid=hot&sid1=105&cid=303946&iid=136252&oid=092&aid=0001949792&ptype=011)

<Website>

- Martha C. Nussbaum’s picture

(http://image.search.daum.net/dsa/search?w=imgviewer&q=Martha+C.+Nussbaum&page_offset=0&page=1&shape=default&size=0&color=0&SortType=3&lpp=28&cp=&od=wv8M210)

- Jaron Lanier’s Profile

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaron_Lanier)

- Jaron Lanier’s opinion material

(http://www.futurehi.net/archives/000696.html)

- Solar system picture

 (http://blog.daum.net/rshng/14928256)

First example is about the technological development’s positive value. Such as, the technologies which are related to medical & health care for sick people. In addition, there are other parts of technologies which are related to communication in worldwide through internet, telephone, and television.

Second example is about the technological development’s negative value. Such as, developed weapons, which are guns, bombs and various nuclear weapons. And even though the internet gives people lots of convenience, it has also used by people in bad things. Some people spread various types of computer viruses and give bad effects to the people.

With these two view points of technologies’ examples, I will finish my scenario as prevail.

The current events, related to Radical Evolution, is most like prevail. Because the high-leveled technologies are used in many positive ways, such as some technologies which are related to medical cures, those technologies are Heaven. However, there are some technologies are used to negative ways, such as weapons for threating other people. Those technologies are Hell. Therefore, the scenario with which I identify most is prevail. Because everything has both positive and negative factors. There is no exception. And the technologies are part of prevail in Radical Evolution.

2. The Prince(1513), his most celebrated work, was a general treatise on the qualities the prince(that is, ruler) must have to maintain his power.

3. Instead, Machiavelli recommends a very practical course of action for the prince: secure power by direct and effective means.

4. Through the years Machiavelli’s view of human nature has come under criticism for its cynicism.

5. He suggests that a morally good person would not remain long in any high office because that person would have to compete with the mass of people, who he says, are basically bad. However, in my personal opinion, it is possible that morally good person can remain in high office although there are many bad people around the good person.

6. Machiavelli constantly tells us that he is describing the world as it really is, not as it should be.

7. Machiavelli expounds upon a litany of actions that mush be taken; Law-Tzu, on the other hand, advises that judicious inaction will produce the best results.

I think people are basically good. Because when people do wrong things they regret immediately and decide not to do it again. And through this process, people are getting better and better. Even though there are some people who do wrong things usually, finally, they realize what is wrong. Therefore, I think people are basically good.

And James Otis apologized about that. In my opinion, he should have to get permission from people in India. However, through his action, I believed that Gandhi shared his everything with many people around him not only before he died but also after he died. I think James Otis just wants to give a hand to Gandhi in that Gandhi can help others around him although long ago he died. Therefore, this auction is very meaningful to people.

Both equality and rationality are so important values to me that I do not make some wrong decisions. When people make rational decisions, they don’t have to waste anything, such as time and money. And during the people’s lifetime, people meet many different types of people in the world. To join with others, people should consider both benefits and handicaps not to make unprofitable decisions for not only the people themselves but also other people around the decision-making people. It is very important to keep equality in getting advantages and disadvantages between the decision makers and others.

In my opinion, equality is the best values to the people of the next generation. Because, an importance of relationship between others is gradually emphasized by many people in the world. If someone makes a decision selfish, the person would be hard to join with others and might become isolated from them. Therefore, even though there are many good and useful principles or values, I think the equality with one another is the major principle for the next generation.

A bed-rock premise that guide my actions in life is rationality. Because I think when there’s no rational decision, there might be high possibilities that many people have disadvantage because of my wrong decision. Moreover, a disadvantage also can be occurred to me. And I think if there is a rational decision, there also an equal decisions could be composed. Therefore, rationality is the best guide for me to make a decision in my life.

In a book, ‘A World of Ideas’, there is a man who resonates most with my own professed principles and values. Benjamin Disraeli said, “No government can be long secure without formidable opposition.” It can be analyzed in many ways, but in my point of view, it said, there should be a balance or an equilibrium between the government and oppositions. And also I interpreted that the power shouldn’t be unilaterally centralized to government or oppositions, in the opinion of Benjamin Disraeli. It also means equality is also important not just between the people but also important between government and oppositions.

Many people have their own principles or values to make decisions in their lifetime. And for me, rationality and equality have to be considered when I have to determine something and take action. For our next generation, equality will become issued as the world become globalized.

They are Koreans.

Students who around me,

They are Diligent Students.

Students who around me,

They are Clever Students.

Students who around me,

They are Confident Students.

Students who around me,

They are Leaders of the World.

Students who around me,

They are Koreans.

Students who around me,

They are my Friends.