Modernity - who is in control?

There is nothing to deny in saying that "science and technology" is the driving force of current economy. Any thing and everything around us is some way connected to the advent and growth of technology on this earth. This view is widely held since Marx. He has once stated that the driving force of history is technological advance. The economic structure which has been built by us (humans) is inconceivable with out these two words. For instance, with out technology we wouldn't have had manufacturing units, that is to say we wouldn't have had jobs, trade, consultancies, money, comforts and etc.

However, in the midst of such an economic structure, I would like to draw your attention towards the fundamental difference between science and technology as two different terms. Though, science and technology share the same kind of rational thinking based on empirical observation and knowledge of natural causality, there is a fundamental difference in the attitude of these two terms. Science is concerned with truth, where as technology is with utility. Where science seeks to know, technology seeks to control & conquer.

This very attitude of technology has made it an asset to the earth in a commercial sense and also a threat in an existential sense. Though the reasons for both are very well understood by us; I would like to throw some light on Technology being a threat in a different perspective.

In the current state of modernity, there are two alarming things to be addressed. Firstly, the nature of technology and secondly, our perception of nature.

There are many entities in this nature like rivers, ocean, land, forests etc. Every entity has its own share of control over the natural cycles. Like wise, over a period of time, Technology has also grown to become entity which has power or a force which seeks to control. Technology in the modern community, is not an entity which mankind can use whenever it wants. It has rooted itself into our basic existence. It paved way for the entire economic structure. It has brought us to an economic state where all of us are governed by two objectives "Efficiency and power". Once a society goes down the path of technological development it will be inexorably transformed into a technological society, a specific type of society dedicated to values of efficiency and power. There is no way out. In other words, technology has been successful in gradually enslaving us to itself.

We can even see this happening too - every nation, every company, every individual is in a continuous quest for improving efficiency as power is concomitant with efficiency. Everyone talks about energy conservation, environmental protection and etc but no one comes forward to relinquish their efficiency in the name of saving nature unless there is some economic benefit out of it. Meetings, conferences, lectures and etc are organized by the international community only to blame each other. Adding on to it, are a few companies which are using eco - friendly as a punch word in their publicity campaigns. Even at the individual level, we have unlearn t the habit of listening to our inner voice. We are inadvertently under a constant pressure from rules of efficiency.

This dominance of nature has gradually changed our perception towards nature too. Today, we have derogated nature to simply a source of raw materials rather than appreciating it as an object of autonomy and beauty. Everything is looked at as a resource that yields what man wants whenever he demands them to do so. For example, we have started looking at a river as a source of hydel power or source of transportation which can be used whenever needed. The river is not anymore seen with an appreciating perspective. An engineer would not have any qualms in destroying the natural beauty of a valley for making a dam. We simply do not have enough time to stand and stare as we are always in a hunt for higher efficiency. The irony is, day in and day out, at our work places and residences, we are persistently involved in a conquest to win over nature. And at the same time, we are in search of natural beauty for holidays.

At the outset, it seems to me that we are not in control of this place. The entity called "intelligence" which enables us to rule this world has ultimately ousted us from the drivers seat. We are in no control of our own intelligence; in fact we are blindly following it, heedless to the response of nature to our deeds. But then what is to be done? There is no viable answer to this question till date as no community wishes to give up on it's efficiency. Of course, there is a philosophical answer to it, given by thinkers like Plato, Heidegger and etc.

Precisely, they say, science is the only recourse in this predicament. The prowess of human intelligence should be focused towards exploring nature not exploiting it. Science should not be merely a unit which provides technology with timely discoveries. It should be an entity which unfolds the complete truth of nature. It is only when science has a comprehensive understanding of truth; technologies working in tandem with nature can be developed. In this conception there is no radical discontinuity between technical making and natural self-production because they both share the same structure. Plato in one of his speech said:

"We humans are not the masters of nature but work with its potentials to bring a meaningful world to fruition. Our knowledge of that world and our action in it is not arbitrary but is in some sense the completion of what lies hidden in nature."

We can only hope this will happen as soon as possible.