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This is http://www.essayz.com/a8907212.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %TECHNOLOGY MEANS DENY TRUTH HUMAN LIMITS HONEST 890721 Human knowledge, understanding and techniques can be used honestly to meet real human needs, or they may be used as means to dishonestly deny the reality of human limitations. The same means, which can serve to genuinely satisfy real human needs, can become the means by which humans celebrate pretensions that they have transcended ultimate human limitations. Science and technology are not value neutral activities of objective people who are without bias. Science and technology provide means which are used both honestly and dishonestly. There is nothing inherent in the process of discovery/development within the scientific and technological communities which make their efforts or the fruits of their labors immune to abuse by addicts and codependents engaged in desperate games of mutual self deception. Advances in science and technology may push back the boundaries of human limits, may give some people a big sense of achievement and transcendence and may give the appearance of having transcended all human limitations. There is a temptation to worship at the alter of science and technology, and to pretend that humans have achieved ultimate control over their destiny. Such temptations need to be moderated by a cosmic view of human origins informed by the best research of astronomers, astrophysicists, chemists, and biologists. The place of our microscopic planet earth on the cosmic stage needs to be kept in mind. The reality of planetary beginnings and planetary endings needs to be kept in mind. An honest sense of human proportions in the vastness of space and time promotes wise humility. People are often proud of their increasing accumulation of information, if not of knowledge and wisdom. The more information is accumulated the greater is the challenge of information management; and of recognizing the difference between useful information and garbage information. In information management it is hard to discard garbage if there is no sound basis for recognizing the difference between garbage and useful knowledge and wisdom. An exponential growth in information is hardly to be desired, if it is fundamentally an exponential growth in garbage which we do not know how to manage. We have limits to how well we can manage an exponential growth of information. Effective education in science and technology is fatally flawed if it does not liberate students from the dangers of worshipping science and technology. Scientists and technicians who do not honestly discuss in public their limitations as persons and as professionals are not liberally educated, and are not liberating educators. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================