When Technology and Humanity Cross

INTRODUCTION

The ever- growing society has made people see technology as some form of necessity tracing back its
origins. The word technology came from the Greek word TECHE and LOGOS which mean art and word
respectively. Taking the words together technology means discourse on arts. ( Buchanan .2010). It first
appeared in the seventeenth where the concept was only use to talk about the arts. Specially applied
arts however as technology proposed the concept also started to have a wider range of meaning where
art is no longer the only topic include concepts like machine and tools were also attached to the word
``technology'' which is the more popular sense of the concept nowadays.

The roles played by technology these days are very crucial not only to a few but also to everyone. In one
way or another, each person in the society is directly or indirectly affected by technology whether he
wills it or not. In fact, most people survive their everyday lives with great reliance to the different
technological advancement already available to the masses.

It is with great effort that people were able to achieve such great inventions. It makes life so much easier
and more convenient than ever before. It can clearly be seen from the simplest task at home to the
most complicated ones inside the office or laboratory.

Ingeneral technology keeps on progressing due to not only the changing times and environmental but
also to be ever progressing mind of mankind. It would not be possible for all these technological
advancement to exist if it were not for the brilliance to role that anything too much is bad same problem
is faced by technically although it has been very helpful to people. It is not immune to criticism and
backlash various ethical dilemmas have been intensified throughout time involving the use of different
technological devices and its effects to humanity usually different problems arise when either the
technological devices available.

Television Sets, Mobile Phones, Computers, and Humanity

A number of technological devices can be easily found inside the home, the most accessible place to
anyone. Having said that, it can also be easily inferred that these technological devices are some of the
most popular and most commonly used types of devices arow all groups. Almost all household, if not all,
own these types of devices. To be more specific, these "celebrities" in the field of technology are
television sets, mobile phones, and computers. People all over the world use these technologies every
day to accomplish different purposes

First, according to Kantar Media, one of the most trusted television audience measurement providers, in
the Philippines, 92 percent of urban homes and 70 percent of rural homes own at least one television
set. It is for this reason why television remains to be the ultimate medium for advertisement placements
(The Manila Times, 2014). This survey simply shows that almost all Filipinos use this particular type of
device. In fact, Filipinos are believed to have this big fascination for television. Most of the time, they
watch television during their free time or any time of the day when they have nothing important to do.
In addition to this, Kantar Media also reported that in the Philippines, the current count of households
with television set already reached 15.135 million (Noda, 2012).

Television was a product of different experiments by various people. Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, a German
student, in the late 1800s was successful in his attempt to send images through wires with the aid of a
rotating metal disk. This invention was then called the "electric telescope" that had 18 lines of
resolution. After some time, in 1907, two inventors, Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton who was an
English scientist and Boris Rosing who was a Russian scientist, created a new system of television by
using the cathode ray tube in addition to the mechanical scanner system. This success story gave rise to
two types of television systems, namely, mechanical and electronic television (Jezek, n.d.). These
experiments inspired other scientists to improve the previous inventions, which led to the modern
television people now have. However, it is important to remember that several scientists and several
experiments were performed first before finally achieving the modern television at present.

Second, Filipinos love to use their mobile phones anywhere, anytime. They use it for different purposes
other than for communication. More than half of the Filipino population own at least one mobile phone
regardless of type. In 2010, global research agency Synovate conducted a survey and declared 67
percent product ownership in the country. In fact, it was also claimed that mobile phones are
considered a must-have among young Filipinos (ABS-CBN News, 2010). To prove that Filipinos really love
to use their mobile phones, the Ipsos Media Atlas Philippines Nationwide Urban 2011-2012 survey
results showed that one in every three Filipinos cannot live without a mobile phone. In other words, 30
percent of the Philippine urban population nationwide said that mobile phones are necessities in life
(Roa, 2012). Philippine streets are full of people using their mobile phones. Not only this, there are some
Filipinos who even own more than one mobile phone.

Mobile phones have a very interesting background story. On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper, a senior
engineer at Motorola, made the world's first mobile phone call. He called their rival telecommunications
company and properly informed them that he was making the call from a mobile phone. The mobile
phone used by Cooper weighed 1.1 kilograms and measured 228.6 x 127 x 44.4 mm. This kind of device
was capable of a 30 minutes talk tone. However, it took 10 hours to charge.

Lastly, computers and laptop have also become part of many of the Filipino household.

In 2010, 3.6 trillion was the estimated total value output of all manufacturing establishment. Semi-
conductor devices and other electronic component took more than half of the total value output of all
manufacturing establishment. To be more specific, 5.4 percent of the total value output came from
computers and peripheral equipment and accessories (PSA. 2013). In line with the growing number of
computer and laptop sales, there has also been a growing numbers of Internet users in the Philippines.
Although there have been problems regarding the Internet providers, this never hindered Filipinos from
continuously using the Internet.

Just like television sets and mobile phones, computers and laptops also have a long background history
of trial and error. It was Charles Babbage, a nineteenth-century English Mathematics professor, who
designed the Analytical Engine which was used as the basic framework of the computers even until
present time.

Laptops have been available to the public for even less than personal computers. Before, the first
design of computer was so big that it could occupy whole floors of buildings. It was not long before
people started dreaming that they could bring their devices to any place they wished. They hoped that
someday it would be possible for these devices to be portable. It was believed that the transition from a
personal computer to a laptop was only a matter of design of a personal computer. The first true
portable computer was released in April 1981. It was called the Osborne 1 (Orfano, 2011).

ROLES PLAYED BY THESE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT

Television sets, mobile phones, and computers or laptops all have different functions and roles played in
the lives of the people, although some may be a little similar. These roles have become so essential that
people, more specifically Filipinos, developed a strong inclination toward technology and its products.

For instance, television is mainly used as a platform for advertisement and information dissemination.
In fact, television remains to be the most used avenue by different advertising companies not only in the
Philippines but also all over the world. Various advertising companies trust that television is still one of
the most used technology devices up until today. However, it is important to note that these are just
some of the roles played by television. Aside from the ones mentioned above, it also serves as a
recreational activity and good stress reliever to most families, specifically propaganda's and advocacies.
Lastly, it can also be a good way to bond with ones family members.

Mobile phones, on the other hand, also have their own roles in the lives of the people. They are
primarily used for communication. Mobile phones offer services like texting and calling.

Personal computers and laptops also have useful set of functions and roles. Although most of the
functions found in these technological devices are now also available in mobile phones, they still offer
their own unique features that make them attractive.

Lastly , for the youth those who love to play different computer games, personal computers or laptop
are really the better choices because these allow them to play with comfort and convenience.

ETHICAL DILEMMA FACED BY THESE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT

While it is true that these technological devices are useful and beneficial the fact that there are several
dilemmas faced by these “necessities.” First, most parents would argue that these devices make their
children lazy and unhealthy. This is because of the fact that people who are fixed on these technological
advancement start and end their day by using such devices. They have a great tendency to sit and chill
all day long without doing anything productive in their homes, thus making them unhealthy because
they do not just skip meals sometimes but also lack of exercise or any bodily movement. Moreover,
these are the same people who are more likely to experience alienation because they no longer take to
get out of their houses and mingle with other people.
 Another dilemma faced by these technological devices is the moral dilemma. People especially the
children who are not capable yet of rationally deciding for themselves what is right or wrong, are freely
exposed to different things on television, mobile phones, laptops or computers.

On first dilemma, it is really concerning to know that there are people who develop different kinds of
sickness because of too much use technological devices. Not only this, it also causes them to become
reclusive, alienating themselves from other people .

Digging deeper, it can be said that theses reason make such devices somehow unethical because they
bring undesirable consequences to people. However, it can also be argued that it is not the fault of the
technological devices but the agents using them or the ones making them. The classic deontological and
teleological approaches to ethics are already too old to be applied in such cases. This is because
technology has become very complicated and dynamic over time. Having said this, it is true that there
are problem that can no longer be addressed by using these theories only. This is way the ethics of
responsibility is an appropriate theory that can be used in theses dilemmas.

The word “responsibility” in the sense of being accountable for and accountable to is very appropriate
to the ethics of technology because it makes each and every person in thee scientific-technological
development a proxy with reference to one another. In other words, each person must indicate the
priorities, value, norms, and principles that constitute the grounds for ones actions and define ones
contribution to the scientific-technological event. The ethics of responsibility focuses on the positivee
rather than the negative. Instead of asking “What ought not to be allowed?” ask “What ought to be
allowed?” To put it in another way, people who are part of the scientific development ought to let the
public know the good their respective technological contribution/s. In this way, the people will have an
idea how the devices ought to be used in order to maximize their positive results.

However, it is also important for the people in the scientific world to inform the masses of the dangers
of their contribution/s to the world of technology. In this way, the people will be sufficiently aware of
what to do and what not to do.

Going back to the first dilemma it can be said that the agent using the devices are the ones to be blamed
for the understanding consequences, namely, laziness and unhealthiness.

On the second dilemma, the people in the scientific world nor the children are blameworthy because of
first, the children are not yet capable of rationally deciding for themselves what is good and what is bad.
Second, even if creators of these technologies went out of their way to inform children of the pros and
cons of these technological contribution, it would still be useless because the children have no capacity
to understand them yet. So in this dilemma, the ones to be blamed are the who allowed the children to
have access to such devices in the first place without any supervision. It is the recklessness and
overconfidence of the adult that cause the character change in children.

ROBOTICS AND HUMANITY

Another great product of the innovative minds of the people in the robot. Robots are now widely used.
For example, there are the so called service robots. These particular robots do specific tasks but focus
mainly in assisting their master in their everyday tasks. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR)
and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) made it their task to formulate a working
definition for service robots. A preliminary extract of the relevant definition is (IFR, 2012)

 A robot is an actuated mechanism programmable in two of more axes with a degree of autonomy,
moving within its environment , to perform intended tasks. Autonomy in this context means the
ability to perform intended tasks based on current state and sensing without human intervention.

 A service robot is a robot that performs useful tasks for humans or equipment excluding industrial
automation application. Note: A robot may be classified according to its intended application as an
industrial robot or a service robot.

 A personal service or a service for personal use is a service robot used for a noncommercial task,
usually by laypersons. Examples are domestic mobility assist robot, and pet exercising robot.

 A professional service robot or a service for professional uses is a service robot used for commercial
task, usually operated by a properly trained operator. Example are cleaning robot for public places,
delivery robot in offices or hospitals, fire fighting robot, rehabilitation robot, and surgery robot in
hospital. In this context, and operator is a person designed to start, monitor, and stop the intended
operation of a robot or a robot system.

Germany was one of the first countries to develop service robots. As part of the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research’s “Service Robotics Innovation Lead Initiative,” it sponsored a
collaborative project called DESIRE (Deutsche Servicerobotik Initiative-Germany Service Robotics
Initiative) which was launched on October 1, 2005. DESIRE has the following individual objectives
(DESIRE, 20009)

 To achieve a technological edge toward attaining key functions and components that are suited for
everyday use.

 To create a reference architecture for mobile manipulation

 To promote the convergence of technologies through integration into a common technology

platform

 To conduct pre-competition research and development activities for new products and technology
transfer in start-up enterprises in the field of service robotics

Some of the expected work to be performed by DESIRE are the following: (1) “Clear up the kitchen
table” - all objects on top of the kitchen will be moved to where they belong; (2) “Fill the dishwasher” -
the dirty dishes will be sorted correctly into the dishwater; and (3) “Clear up this room” - all objects that
are not in the proper places will be moved to where they belong (Mock, n.d.).
The earliest conception of the robots can be traced around 3000 B.C. from the Egyptians. Their water
clocks used human figurines to strike the hour bell. This mechanical device was built to carry out a
specific physical task regularly. From the time one, different machines were already built that displayed
the same mechanism and characteristics as the robots in the present. For example, there was a wooden
pigeon that could fly, a talking doll, steam-powered robots, and hydraulically-operated status that could
speak and gesture. However the earliest robots as people know them were created in the early 1950s by
George Devol. “Unimate” was his first invention the word “Universal Automation”.

ROLES PLAYED BY ROBOTICS

Robots play different roles not only in the lives of the people but also in the society as a whole. They are
primarily used to ease the workout of mankind. They were invented to make life more efficient and less
stressful.

Law One:

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Law Two:

A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict the
First law.

Law Three:

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or
Second Law.

ETHICAL DILEMMA/S FACED BY ROBOTS

Just like any other technological advancement, robotics also faces different problem and dilemmas. One
of the dilemmas faced by robots is safety.

Another ethical dilemma faced by robots is the emotional component.

In the field of robotics, there are the so-called partial autonomy and full autonomy. Partial autonomy
includes active human-robot interaction while full autonomy excludes active human-robot interaction.
In other words, a robot will full autonomy can perform actions or activities even without a master telling
it what should be done or what should be perform next (IFR, 2012)

Using Asimov's laws for robots, it can be concluded that robots are ethical but only if they strictly follow
the laws specified. They are ethical mostly because the laws formulated by Asimov ensure the safety of
not only the users of the technology but also the people around him Remember that these service
robots are already available to the public, thus, they can already be found inside the homes. Having said
that, the safety of not only the owner of the technology but also all the people inside the house should
be the priority more than anything else. In other words, the service robots only follow what their
masters tell them to do with great consideration to the laws formulated by Asimov. However, if the
agent using the technology misuses the robot to achieve personal agendas, then without a doubt, the
agent should be held accountable for any consequences it may bring. It is important to note that this is
under the assumption that the robot strictly followed the laws specified without any form of deviation.

If the problems arise when the robot deviates from the laws specified, then the maker of the inventor of
the machine should be blameworthy It just means that the robot was not programmed very well
because it violated the laws.

To put it in another way, the maker programmed the robot in such a way that u can already think for
itself even without an active participation from a human being. In addition, since the robot thinks for
itself, whatever decison it makes and whatever consequence it may bring, the robot itself should be held
responsible.

For the second dilemma, it is just right for the robots to be given their own set of rights should they
develop the ability to feel different kinds of emotion. It can be argued that the same thing happened
wahs animals Before, animals did not have their own set of rights because people believed that they
were not capable of having emotions. However, after years of testing and experimenting, it was
concluded that animals are indeed capable of emotion. It is for this reason that people decided to give
them rights that are due to them. The same should be done to robots without any reservations. Should
that time come, they ought to be treated differently and they ought to have new laws to follow in order
to accommodate the new characteristic they have developed.