Technology Essay Example for Free

Technology Essay It is always a controversial issue whether technology separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together. From my point of view, technology has done more to bring people together than to separate or alienate them. Therefore, I disagree with the statement. Here are some reasons why. First of all, technology has brought about a revolution in the way we communicate with each other through the use of cellular phones and the Internet. Thanks to these new mediums of communication, people are brought closer together. With access to cellular phones or the Internet, I am now only seconds away from communicating with distant friends. With access to these devices, the geographical distance between acquaintances matters much less than it did in the past. I can still maintain close contact with my family and friends, even if they are on the other side of the world. Evidently, technology makes people become closer than ever. In addition, technology has given us the means to travel great distances in relatively short periods of time for a relatively cheap price. Imagine having to travel overseas to visit your parents had you all lived a mere hundred year ago. Think of both the time and money such a trip would have cost! Now compare the difficulties of this trip a century ago with the relative ease and comfort of the same trip today. The technical innovations in transportation, as well as in communication, have only served to bring us closer together. In summary, I strongly disagree with the worn-out idea that technology ultimately separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together. To the contrary, technology improves our ability to talk to each other. Also, it improves our ability to travel and see each other. Apparently, technological innovations in both transportation and in communication that were noted in the preceding paragraphs unite people in different locations. Technology ultimately separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together. There have been many debates regarding the impacts of technology on people’s relationships. While many people argue that technology obviously separates and alienates people, some of others hold a belief that technology brings people together. As far as I am concerned, I strongly agree with the latter point of view, but I think that those who hold the former belief have their own sound evidence. Admittedly, proponents to this claim may argue that new technologies, such as the Internet, televisions, or computers, destroy humans’ relationships. Lots of people around the world have /been getting/BECOME/ addicted to watching televisions, playing online games, surfing and wandering AROUND the Internet, to name but a few. This has proveN to be very detrimental to their relationships. For example, in my country, Vietnam, many children, at the age of 8 to 14, are very interested in playing online games. They spend most of their free time sitting in front of their computers screen and doing something separately. This may result in the lack of socializing and contacting with others. On the other hand, technology has been a wonderful aid that can bring people together, or, in many cases, back together. To bolster this claim, I can say that I have connected with quite a few people all over the world via email, and some of them I have never known before. Furthermore, thanks to modern technologies such as the Internet or mobile phone, I can contact with my friends and relations living in other countries, far away from my homeland, very easily and conveniently. Giving and receiving a call, or chatting via Skype or Yahoo Messenger are some common ways that people often make use of, in order to keep contact with one another, as well as maintain and strengthen their relationships. Another way that technologies support people in socializing with each other is through the so-called ‘virtual worlds’ in the Internet. There are many such virtual worlds in the Internet, such as Facebook, Twitter, and a great numbers of forums and websites, in which people can share their common interests and make contacts with one another. Such contacts may be ephemeral, but they can be A great source of information and amusement. as well. For example, I have joined in English-test.net Forum and enjoyed many relationships in here. It CAN not only can make me feel relaxed, but also can ALSO bring me many benefits in terms of study. In sum, it seems clear to me that technology has done more to bring people together than to isolate them. If they use technologies appropriately, they can gain many benefits from them. Technology ultimately separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together. The question in hand it to determine if Technology separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together As with many issues related to technology, we cannot say that it is fully true or false, but both the perspectives can co-exist. In my opinion, technology does more to bring people together than to alienate them. The primary reason of my opinion is a look at history. A century ago, people in America did not interact with the Asians the way they do today. Neither did they interact with their own countrymen to the extent they do today. The technological advances in communication made it possible for the world to shrink into a global village. The internet explosion of the late 1990s especially lead to a networked world, where there is a very strong business relationship between various parts of the world. With this business relationship and a subsequent personal relationship, people are now more closely knit than they ever were. Today, an American gets his leather jacket, with its raw material coming from Myanmar, manufacturing done in China and branding done in Europe. This one chain has linked people from various nations. The second reason I base my opinion on is the advances in travel technology. It took people 77 days to go around the earth a century ago, but today this can be done in less than 2 days. The tourist population of the world is at its historic high now. When people go to a new land, they get an opportunity to interact with the natives of that land. On the flip side, there is a limited human-to-human personal interaction in many developed nations due to these technological advances. A survey in the US points out that a typical teenager spends more time to watch television than to talk to his parents. This situation would not have been there a century ago. Infact the Amish people who live in Pennsylvania and Ohio states of the US do not have any televisions in their houses because they believe that it breaks up the family. They also have limited technology in their houses for having their families more closely knit. In conclusion, technology has been of tremendous help in bringing people across the world together, but it has made the smallest units of the society like the family less closely knit. Technology ultimately separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together. Technology and Humane touch, in most cases donot gel together. It is indeed, a complex issue. One school of thought says, it is the ultimate tool to stay connected with people which otherwise is not possible.Technology comes as a rescue to the users, which they would find it difficult without it. At the same time, the division and the alienation which it brings along with it, has brought a negative reputation. However in my opinion, technology if placed at the right time and right place, it is the most effective tool to bring in smiles between scattered people over the globe. Let take a step further at the analysis of both sides. What was started as a communication tool, internet was not welcomed in the initial stages, or it was used only for military purposes. Today, with the changing times and the various needs of the people, it is slowly taking over the other medium of communication. Though there is always some issues with the implementation of it, speed, connection, network issues etc, it has to be accepted that it had made the world look smaller than what it was in one decade ago. Having said that, if noticed, internet also brings in some kind of alienation and it has its own disadvantages. It sometimes disturbs the privacy of the people and in turn it discourages the users from further usage. Whenever there is a system of new technology introduced in a society, it is always welcomed with some opposition and finally it works well. Even though technology needs some kind of additional knowledge of how to use, and other issues, with proper guidance it could turn into a great tool of communication and therefore it would connect people with humane touch, which is the differentiator point. Todays generation is more active and keep changing places instead of those times where they would stick to one place and one job. With these changing times and needs, technology is the only solution which bring back smiles over the people and nothing else. Therefore with the above analysis, and with humane differentiator, technology if used at the right place and right time, it would bring in more smiles to the users. Technology ultimately separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together. The opinion that technology separates people more than it serves to bring them together is one that is causing much debate. The issue is of even greater importance at this point in time as technology has become a crucial part of our everyday functions. The strongest supporters of the above claim argue that technology has provided instruments that have facilitated separation, however in saying so they overlook the ways in which technology has brought people closer together. In this essay I will put forward arguments that illustrate how technology has brought people together. Firstly, lets consider how technology has brought people closer together by providing better means of communications. The telephone, internet, mobile phone and other modern telecommunications wonders are all important delvelopements that have allowed people to communicate with each other. This access to different and convienient modes of communcating has brought a feeling of closeness. As we head towards the future further technological advancements such as video conferencing will further facilitate bringing people closer together. Additionally, technology has allowed those people to interact with each of that could not have with technology, thus reducing their feeling of alienation. Take for example the residents of a rural village in India. Without technological advancements this group of people were separated and alienated from the rest of world. However with advances in transporation and communication this village can now feel closer to the rest of its global neighbours. In this case technology has facilitated the connecting various separated and isolated people. Further, looking from the perspective of social alienation and separation, that is when various people in a society feel that they are separated from society because of their financial status, or lack of oppurtunity. Consider a family living below the poverty line, its members so not have access to resources or opportunites and this often leads to a feeling of being alienated. Technology allows us to take steps to reduce this social separatness and alienation by providing better opportunities, by providing cheaper access to information, greater acecss to opportunities. Without technology people needed to have money to buy expensive Encyclopedias to access valuable information, however the internet now allows acces to information at a fraction of the cost. Therefore, it can be seen from the above examples that technology has played a powerful role in bringing people together socially, economically and in spirit. Although technology may allow ways to work in isolation it will continue to provides ways in which alienation and the feeling of separatness is further reduced.

What It Means To Be Australian :: essays research papers

What It Means To Be an Australian Australia is a very unique place, along with our multiculturalism there is also a strong heritage surrounding us. At first thought of Australian heritage we think about such landmarks as Uluru, The Sydney harbour bridge and The Sydney opera house, The Great Barrier reef and other internationally recognised places. But our heritage goes much deeper than that; it is far more than outstanding icons. Along with these icons there are also unsung places like the old cattle stations, Aboriginal missions, migrant hostels, War memorials, our unique wetlands and the towns and cities we have built. Adding all of these things together, helps to tell the story of who we are and how we have shaped this land in the unique identity it has today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But familiar landmarks and also the unfamiliar ones aren't the whole make-up of Australia's heritage. It's the people that make a difference. Australia is made up of people from all walks of life who have migrated here for different reasons. Among these, the most common migrants are from Greece, Italy, Russia and Asia. Australia is made up of material culture: the places and objects, but also Living culture: In forms such as Music, Crafts, Literature etc. It is an interplay between international cultures and beliefs, the claims of nationalism and ethnic and religious traditions, as well as the local and community priorities that’s make up the unique Australian heritage. The Aboriginal people of Australia were here thousands of years before European settlement and we forced them to adapt to the changes of environment around them. This change might be for better or worse, but we will never find out. But with the European settlement came the birth of industry, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, manufacture, electricity, gas and water just to name a few.

Book Review.. Law and Society

Slavery, Law and Society in the British Windward Islands 1763-1823 September 29, 2011 Lecturer: Dawn M. McNeil Reviewed by Natasha Stewart DR BERNARD MARSHALL (2007) SLAVER, LAW AND SOCIETY Published by Arawak Publications ISBN 976 8189 81 9 (hbk) ISBN 976 8189 27 4 (pbk) One of the most important courses that are required for matriculation into law school is â€Å"law and society†. This is due to the fact that this course covers interaction between Law and Society from a historical, economical, political, sociological perspective of Caribbean societies, from primitive to transitional and also modern societies. It incorporates trends of law enforcement as well as current social and technological changes that influence society. It is premised on the fact that law has a critical function in all forms of social conduct. Though not the exact words of lecture McNeil, they were enough to help me to understand the importance of this course. Therefore upon her instructions to review the book â€Å"Slavery Law and Society†, I was most enthused, as I intended to read with an objective that would allow me to understand more about the laws of slavery and their impacts, the composition of society and to compare it with the society we have today. As I thought that this would allow me to be understanding of this course of study. My attention was also naturally drawn to the author Bernard Marshal, as I think he did a great job in compiling this case study. Nonetheless, I feel privilege to know that my review o this book will ultimately make it better, while giving me knowledge of a society that I fortunately escaped. The book slavery law and society is a comparative study, which looks at the political, economical, legal and social life of a majority black population, a minority white population and a relatively large amount of free colored in St Vincent, Tobago, Dominica, Grenada and the Grenadines between the years 1763 to 1823. This period marks a relevant and vital time in the history of the Caribbean and the importance of these Windward Islands to French and British economy. These two European nations stood in constant conflict over wealth and ownership of these islands. Thus building our understanding of how Caribbean history in these islands was developed. Bernard Marshall assessed the relationship between different groups in society, with special attention placed on the enslaved population who were in constant resistance of slavery, especially the maroons. Throughout the sixty years of slavery, many writers have analyzed the nature of slavery in some of the more popular Caribbean islands, however it must be noted that this book is the first to help with understanding the nature of the slave system in these four important communities. At a time when slavery and plantation ownership was very important to the economic success of the planter class, the nature of the slave society was examined and critiqued in this study. Special emphasis was placed the political, social, religious, economic and legal organizations of these islands. Nonetheless there was decline which brought into question, the importance of a seemingly redundant enslaved population. Bernard however, presents a harsh historical reality, which was seen in the most inhumane activities meted out to mankind, which is the trans-Atlantic slave trade. During that period the establishment of sugar plantations required purchasing of land, plantation buildings, equipment and upkeep of one’s own labour force which translated into large expenditures: for example a sugar estate in St Vincent that contained 442 acres was 74,035 pounds. Funds were secured to purchase such an estate from the mercantile houses in the metropolis. When the economy declined and prices paid for crops were reduced, many planters defaulted on their loans and went bankrupt. This period saw many such declines and loss for planters, whether for economic reasons or as a direct result of the many revolts that were carefully planned and executed by the slaves seeking freedom and social status. To date the Caribbean is very familiar to almost everyone, due to the contributions of historians, sociologists, lecturers and legal scholars. Nonetheless, only this writer has sought to give a comparative analysis of these communities as they are generally ignored in most readings of Caribbean history, though same were the experiences of these islands in the era of slavery. The role of law was carefully examined and most importantly, its relationship with economic, political and social life of persons in these communities. Marshall’s study provides adequate insight into the society of slavery in an ignored area of the Caribbean history. It must be noted that while the whips and the other physical brutal methods of control were deemed effective to control the slave population. A critique of religion was also evident as it was used as an effective form of social control which made the slaves subservient to their masters. The book is mostly viewed from a Marxist perspective; therefore the function of law was an instrument of the ruling class. This authority created an exploited Caribbean society by colonial rule whose authority was justified by the existing political and judicial precedents created by them and used to keep the â€Å"less fortunate† Africans and free coloured in check. Marshall showed how the law worked in favour of the ruling class, those who owned the means of production. This aspect of Marshal’s analysis can be compared to present day societies, where preference is given to the â€Å"big man†. Law is a coercive order†¦.. the norms which form a legal order must be norms stipulating a coercive act, e. g. a sanction, the evil applied to the violator of the order when sanction is socially organized, consists in a deprivation of possessions- life, health, freedom or property. As the possessions are taken from him against his will, this sanction has the character of the measure of coercion; a social order that seeks to bring about the desired behavior of individuals by the enactment of such measures of coercion is called a coercive order. The laws of the islands recognized the owner’s right to his property in the slave, and protected right from violation by others†. Therefore various acts were passed to govern the every movement of slaves. (Slave laws of 1768) In an attempt by the minority white to ensure social stability, laws were designed to push actions such as rebellions, robbery, running away, arson etc, the actions were severely punished, in fact, dealt was the ultimate. The responsibility of punishment was given to the police, who ensured that laws were upheld. The law was therefore seen as a weapon of social control that worked in the interest of the minority white population. It was used to dehumanized the African population in a most barbaric and unthinkable way. The ruling class fashioned its own brand of social engineering to support a system of racial inequality and exploitation. In the period between 1763-1773, Great Britain acquired what was well known as the British Windward islands. An economy which was initially based on the production and trade of cocoa, coffee, spice and tobacco was now changed into one based on sugar production. This lead to the immediate migration of white owners who could not compete with the emerging sugar industry and influx of slaves. this lead to a cultural change of the society into that of which was centered around the sugar industry, slavery and a dominating planter class. â€Å"The history of slavery in the British Windward islands indisobly and extricably linked to the expansion of the sugar industry. Ever since 1773, sugar had gained a position of first rate importance in the plantation economy. A position which it maintained throughout the period of this study, to almost the total neglect of other kinds of economic activities. For instance, in St. Vincent after 1773, tobacco cultivation was carried out by the Black Caribs only, and following their expulsion in 1797 it was most likely to be abandoned. Report from the island in 1788 also revealed that the culture of coffee and cocoa was being neglected by planters†. This aspect of history saw decline in the economy of these islands due to revolts by slaves and other economic reasons such as cut off of trade with America, knowing that this trade with America was vital to the survival of plantation economy. In Grenada and St. Vincent, production level fell, while prices also declined presenting famine in these islands. French rule played a significant role in the losses suffered by these islands. Nonetheless, the treaty of Versailles gave back to Britain these islands. British were well interested in the American rum and liquor, which were relatively cheap and affordable, thus inviting the interest of the British to trade for a profit in their market. The economy suffered extreme effects of war, of which the planter class was seemingly unaware. Through Marshall’s theses, revelation was made of economic politics which resulted in revolts of the whites, mullatos and slaves. Slave rebellion in Tobago between the years 1770 and 1773 saw 80 whites killed. These revolts were influenced by other revolutionary wars, such as French Revolution, American Revolution and enlightenment thinkers. Passive and submissive behaviors were thought to the slaves by Christian missionaries. In a report submitted to the Privy Council in 1788 it was asserted that â€Å"if they (the slaves) receive punishment for misdemeanors, though they might seem too severe, the brethren have no business to interfere† this policy was perused by the Moravian Brethren in Tobago. In addition, they preached the virtues of obedience, submission and diligence to their converts and by doing so they made a fairly significant contribution to the maintenance and stability of the slave society. The brethren had no choice than to adapt to these policies of the planters, since their focus should be on conversion of the heathen to Christianity. Failure to comply would result in them being forced to leave the islands. When in 1799 Brother Schirmer’s went to say the last word to a slave who was about to be executed, this was what he said: â€Å"Though God is merciful and gracious and forgives repenting sinners, yet he also executes his vengeance against those who persist in sin and commit iniquity with greediness and has authorized the powers he had established in the world, to do the same. Even after the abolition of slave trade in 1807 the lives of slaves still had no value to the planter class. The inferiority of Negro slavery was still polished in their minds, and this harsh trend has been brought down into our societies today. The thought that slave trade was abolished and slaves could now buy their freedom was a most welcomed notion by the slaves, however this was a mere dream in reality, as the price to purchase such freedom was unattainable. In St. Vincent, one slave out of every 630 gained his freedom each year; in Grenada, one out of every 408: in Dominica 1 out of every 90 and in Tobago one out of every 832. The slave society in the new world and Brazil remained fairly closed. Slave societies in the Windward Islands and other islands of the New world such as Brazil are quite similar, regardless of a few supersticial differences. Nonetheless, Marshall’s contribution to slavery in these islands is commendable a great deal of achievement, however, many generations to come, will encounter different articles on slavery. Perceptions of slavery might change in future references. However the process and nature of slavery will be the theme for many great writers, who will borrow from Marshall’s study of these Windward Island. A criticism of Marshall’s theory links it to a cohesive society with shared norms and values and similar goals and objectives. Nonetheless, this text was a well researched on, based on various references provided from other writers to substantiate information given. The relevance of this study to my course of study was what gave me the drive to continue reading Marshall’s ork. It was quite informative; on the other hand it could have been far more concise, as there was too much repetition of points that were made clear in earlier chapters. The dates though very important, were overused and at some points they were not significant, and caused me to lose focus on many occasions. A book of this nature which caters to a wide range of intellectuals, specifically uni versity students should have been vetted thoroughly to avoid spelling errors and incorrect grammar. I also found that paragraphs were exhausted and one point either overlapped into another or it was too long. Marshall’s study of these islands was somewhat limited as it could have incorporated more impacts of the outside world on these plantations, such as the rise to industrialism and enlightenment, impact of French revolution, slave actions in other Caribbean territories, works of humanitarians etc. all the aspects of slavery impacted the windward islands, but Marshall paid little attention to them. I think however that had he made relations to more similarities between these islands and other well written about Caribbean territories history of slavery, then he would attracted more authors of this school of thought to add the history of the windward islands into their writings of Caribbean history and slavery. Though I am appreciative of the fact that this study gave me extended knowledge of Caribbean history, which I very much appreciate, I think that this source was not one of the more captivating piece of Caribbean history that I have read, and if not for a specific purpose I would not be enthused to read it again. Though a local case study, the book is nevertheless an important contribution to the history of slavery in the Caribbean and in the New World in general. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Hans keelson, general theory of law and state [ 2 ]. House of commons Accounts and papers, volume xxvi,1789 [ 3 ]. Periodical accounts, volume ii: extract from brother Schirmer’s diary.

Separation Between Church And State - 1427 Words

In today’s modern society, more people are shifting away from the traditional set of Christian values and thus, the need for the separation between church and state has never been so vital. This separation can be defined as being a secular state, which is thereby stating that a government is neutral in religious matters, and supports neither the religious nor the non – religious. The United States of America has been label a secular state since the signing of their ‘godless constitution’ in 1787. However despite the founding fathers wishes for a â€Å"wall of separation between church and state† , religious pressure groups and bias conservative politicians still seem to obtain the ability to pass laws or government policies that have pro -†¦show more content†¦The clause was also made to prohibit the government from passing a law or legislation respecting the establishment of a religion, or more commonly Christianity, as this was a common pr actice that existed in other countries around the time when the constitution was created. The Establishment clause also created the groundwork for the secular nature of Congress in the future, but also made the environment for free religious expression. The irreligious constitution was revolutionary, and changed the fundamental ideals of those in politics at the time. Those who wrote the constitution did not want for the constitution to deny religions place in society but instead wanted to highlight that religious ideals should be separate from politics. Through the creation of the ‘Godless Constitution’, the United States should have created the foundation for a nation that would separate religion from politics. Although the United States has created this seemingly ideal secular constitution, the level at which they carry out its ideals vary. The United States public school system highlights and showcases their secular ideals through the disestablishment of mandatory prayer or an imposed school religion. The United States enforces a secular education through the US constitutional amendment regarding voluntary school prayer,