Technology and Human Development

Today's lesson comprised of two parts: Technology, Society & Global Dominance and Technology & Human Development. For the former, we discussed the characteristics that define a society/company as a dominant leader in their respective fields; It has have an open perspective with a willingness to learn despite whatever stereotype they have of others, accept the need to change and have a positive mindset. On the other hand, those that rest on their laurels, isolate themselves and get carried away with arrogance end up lagging behind their counterparts. We then explored the area of military technological dominance in the form of US Hegemony as well as how Henry Ford's assembly line laid down the foundations of modern day industrial processes. For the latter, we were introduced to the Millennium Development Goals and explored the implications of globalisation on developing countries (why there still is an imbalance despite efforts to transfer technological knowledge to them).

Human development, in particular, interests me because a significant idea in the realm of human development involves the conversion of basic social needs into human rights. Wikipedia defines human development as a model which measures the creation of an environment where people can maximise their potential and "lead productive, creative lives in accordance with their needs and interests." What then is the difference between a need and a right? Is a need necessarily a right? I think a need is something you as a person decide to require while a right is something which you are entitled too because it is something you are born with or have earned. We can say that we need to feel accepted by others but nobody says that they have a right to be accepted by others. The idea of a right implies some form of enforcement. That means there will be punishment for those who fail to give others their rights. You can't say you have a right to be accepted by others because nobody has the right to punish them if they don't.

I think a huge part of human development has to do with rights more so than needs, and replacing basic needs with rights is essential. This then leads me to my next question: who decides what a right is? To me, a need is not a right until it has been decided to be so by one group of  people, namely the government. This highlights the importance of good government  in order for countries to attain a certain level of human development. Hence, technology is not the only driving force. The government plays an instrumental role in guiding the use of technology. Also, we need to identify the kind of rights people should have before we can decide the kind of technology we should use to improve the lives of these people should they not have access to this right, thereby using technology to protect their rights.  For example, what's the point of having super advanced medical equipment if it has been decided by the authorities that people do not have a right to healthcare?

Key Takeaways:

1. The presentation on the implications of globalisation on human development gave me a new perspective on why most technologies are not suitable for developing countries ie. emerging technologies reflect concerns of the rich, not the poor because the rich provide funding for the research and development and therefore set the agenda for the use of these technologies.
2. Coming back to the issue of whether developed countries have an obligation to share their knowledge with developing countries, I feel that developed countries are now more open to sharing their knowledge not just because they have a moral obligation, but also because they face international scrutinisation. Many non-government organisations and welfare groups make it a point to openly condemn developed countries and pressure them into helping developing countries since they form the bulk of the wealth in this world. Similar to corporate social responsibility, these people feel that developed countries with great power have a responsibility to contribute back to society especially in light of the glaring atrocities and consequences colonialism had on these developing countries.
3. In the transfer of technology, there is the 'hard' part and the 'soft' part. Hard part refers to the knowledge, instructions and scientific facts. Soft part includes fact-to-face training and correct application.

Overall rating: 8/10