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Science and Technology Content Notes [Lecture Notes] 

Introduction

Positive impact:  

[1] Today, science has a profound effect on the way we live, largely through technology — the

use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. The first automobile, dating from the

1880s, made use of many advances in physics and engineering, including reliable ways of 

generating high-voltage sparks, while the first computers emerged in the 1940s from

simultaneous advances in electronics and mathematics.

[2] Alongside these achievements, science has also brought about technology that helps save

human life. The kidney dialysis machine enables many people to survive kidney diseases that

would once have proved fatal, and artificial valves allow sufferers of coronary heart disease

to return to active living. Biochemical research is responsible for the antibiotics and

vaccinations that protect us from infectious diseases, and for a wide range of other drugs used

to combat specific health problems. As a result, the majority of people on the planet now live

longer and healthier lives than ever before.

[3] Indeed, technological research and development continue to introduce new products and

services to society. Many of these innovations come about as a response to society‘s

changing needs, providing solutions to the problems faced in modern society, improving our 

standard of living and increasing our efficiency.

Negative impact:  

[4] However, scientific discoveries can also have a negative impact in human affairs. Over 

the last hundred years, some of the technological advances that make life easier or more

enjoyable have proved to have unwanted and often unexpected long-term effects.

[5] Industrial and agricultural chemicals pollute the global environment, even in places as

remote as Antarctica, and city air is contaminated by toxic gases from vehicle exhausts. The

increasing pace of innovation means that products become rapidly obsolete, adding to a rising

tide of waste. Most significantly of all, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and

natural gas releases into the atmosphere carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. These gases

have altered the composition of the entire atmosphere, producing global warming and the

 prospect of major climate change in years to come.

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[6] Science has also been used to develop technology that raises complex ethical questions.

This is particularly true in the fields of biology and medicine. Research involving genetic

engineering, cloning, and in vitro fertilization gives scientists the unprecedented power to

 bring about new life, or to devise new forms of living things. At the other extreme, science

can also generate technology that is deliberately designed to harm or to kill. The fruits of this

research include chemical and biological warfare, and also nuclear weapons, by far the most

destructive weapons that the world has ever known.

[7] Now, more than ever, technology – a product of science – has become an important part

of peoples‘ lives. Not only does technology have a direct impact on our physical lives but it

also affects our social relationships and values.

(1)Social Impacts & Implications a. Effect on Work & Employments  

i. Creation of new jobs The advance of science and technology has led to the creation of new jobs in the

 pharmaceutical, medical, research and biotechnological fields. Singapore: In 2000, Singapore declared biotechnology as the fourth pillar of its economy. Due to

increased international competition, Singapore has gradually moved its emphasis from

manufacturing technology to the biomedical sciences. In an effort to become an integrated

 biotechnology hub, Singapore has pumped in $2.3 billion in investments, grants and

incentives. The government is also trying to create domestic talent. The Agency for Science, Technology

and Research is offering $286 million in scholarships for students to pursue Ph.D.'s in

 biomedical sciences at home and abroad, in exchange for their promise to work in Singapore

for up to eight years. Adapted from (―Singapore Goes Biotech‖,  New York Times, 2003) 

ii. Displacement of jobs At work, certain jobs, especially low skilled jobs have become obsolete. Even jobs that

require training and skill have been displaced. For example, shorthand, typewriting, and

draughtsmanship have been replaced by word-processing, voice-recognition and computer-

aided design and manufacturing systems. Large companies which used to be structured in a multi-layered hierarchical way in order to

facilitate control and reporting are stripping away layers of middle management. The

company in the IT age adopts a flatter structure, decentralises and gives more autonomy to its

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operating units. The company becomes more efficient, but middle managers need to redefine

or retrain themselves in order to remain relevant to the job market. iii.Telecommuting 

Science & technology allows an interconnected working arena that spans across continents.

Employees can work in the comfort of their own homes as they are able to access the

necessary information that they require. The virtual office connects companies to customers

and fellow workers to each other. However, working from home would mean they will miss out on social interactions available

in the office. Another drawback of working from home is that the lines between work and

home are blurred. Question: (a)When the lines between home and work are blurred, what are the implications on theemployee?  The employee may be expected to be on call/ working 24 hours a day regardless of 

where he may be.  Difficult to have work-life balance because there is no such distinction.   This may increase stress on the family, as the parent brings work-related stress back 

home. b. Effect on Relationships  

i. Social Glue Gone are the days of snail mail and expensive trunk calls. With Information Communication

Technology (ICT), communication between individuals within a family, company, or country

can be made with ease. When the Internet was first introduced, it was used to disseminate

information within a company and between companies. Background: Prior to the global communications network we understand the internet to be today, it is

theorized that the internet started out with military computers in the Pentagon called Arpanet

in 1969. The Arpanet gave birth to the internet protocols in the 1970s. Today, the Internet has become a common form of communication capable of disseminating

information across time and space. Where a country has the skills and access to ICT, society

will be able to find, foster and develop relationships through online social networks like

Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The rapid adoption of such social network sites by members of a society reveal how ICT has

transformed from once a private space between companies/organisations to a public space

 between members from various societies. 

In the past, it has been suggested that the Internet and e-mail could diminish real relationships.

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But the report, entitled The Strength of Internet Ties done by the US-based Pew Internet

think-tank, found that e-mail supplements rather than replaces offline communications.

ICT has created a new basis for community. Instead of relying on a single community for 

social support, individuals often actively seek out a variety of appropriate people and

resources across continents for different situations. This has resulted in the rise of networked

individualism where users of modern technology are less tied to local groups and increasingly

 part of more geographically scattered networks.

Adapted from Internet serves as ‗social glue‘

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4644666.stm ) Question (a) Does the emphasis on online communication necessarily lead to social isolation?  c. Social problems and cyber crimes  

i. Piracy Music theft can take various forms: individuals who illegally upload or download music

online, online companies who build businesses based on theft and encourage users to break 

the law, or criminals manufacturing mass numbers of counterfeit CDs for sale on street

corners, in flea markets or at retail stores. Across the board, this theft has hurt the music

community, with thousands of layoffs, songwriters out of work and new artists having a

harder time getting signed and breaking into the business.

One credible analysis by the Institute for Policy Innovation concludes that global music

 piracy causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U.S. jobs lost, a loss of 

$2.7 billion in workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in

 personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.

Taken from RIAA--Piracy (http://www.riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php) 

However recently, after years of futile efforts to stop digital pirates from copying its music,

the music business has started to copy the pirates.

Online and mobile services offering listeners unlimited, "free" access to millions of songs are

 proliferating.

Taken from the Intl Herald Tribune (http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/18/technology/midem.4-410564.php) 

ii. Private or Public Opinion Online blogs or diaries, similar to online social networks, can be created to provide a private

space for individuals on the public spaces of the Internet. While such blogs may function as a

 private diary, the readership is not limited to the author.

Under Section 298 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, anyone with deliberate intention of 

wounding the religious or racial feelings of any person, causes any matter however 

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represented to be seen or heard by that person, can be jailed up to three years, or fine, or both,

if convicted.

Deputy Commander of Central Police Div HQ, Superintendent Lee Ping Yue, said that the

 police take a serious view of irresponsible blog postings in a multi-racial society like

Singapore and 'will expend all efforts in tracking the perpetrators'.

Taken from ST Online

(http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_239545.html ) iii.Internet Addiction (Social Isolation) 

Youth internet addiction has become a serious social problem. To curb and alleviate this

 problem, the Chinese authorities have called for tighter enforcement of the rules banning

under-18s from internet cafes and for a rating system for games. Adapted from China‘s clinic for its Internet junkies(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1545382/Chinas-clinic-for-its-internet-

 junkies.html) The potential to be absorbed by the wonders/capabilities of ICT is real and continues to

 pervade societies. In extreme cases, individuals who do not exercise discipline or control

when dealing with ICT may become socially isolated from the physical world, from reality. iv. Predators 

The goal of a predator is to get a child to consent to sexual activities. Predators contact teens

(online and offline) to start a conversation. Just as most teens know to say no to strange men

who approach them on the street, most know to ignore strange men who approach them

online. When teenagers receive solicitations from adults on MySpace, most report deleting

them without question. The media often reference a Crimes Against Children Report

(http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/jvq/CV38.pdf ) that states one in five children receive a sexual

solicitation online.

Although the media has covered the potential risk extensively, few actual cases have emerged.

While youth are at minimal risk, predators are regularly being lured out by law enforcement

 patrolling the site. The fear of predators has regularly been touted as a reason to restrict youth

from both physical and digital publics.

Taken from Danah Boyd‘s Discussion Forum (http://www.danah.org/papers/MySpaceDOPA.html) 

v. Identity Theft Having more than one e-mail address can be useful in the battle against online fraud and

spam. It is also a good way to keep personal and professional lives separate.

Adapted from Web users keeping multiple emails (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7374540.stm) 

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Identity theft is costing the UK economy over £1.7bn a year, according to figures "calculated

 by the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) in co-operation with both

 public and private sector organisations".

Adapted from Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2006/feb/02/identityfraud)

 Question

(a) What is your opinion on the blame placed on ICT in the creation of social problems? Is it

appropriate/fair? d. Ef fect on Identi ty  

i. Multiple Identities Individuals can create a private space within the public space of the Internet. In creating that

 private space, they may reveal their personalities and express their opinions without any

qualms (subjective to whether their private space remains private or is open to publicviewing). According to Sally M. Cohen, author of Email, IM, And Social Network Strategists: Help

Teens Manage Multiple IDs While Preserving Privacy, multiple identities allow teens to

create boundaries in online social networks. However, are such boundaries created to express

themselves freely or free themselves from the watchful eyes of parents? ii. The Invisible Cloak  

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Scalia said ―The very purpose of anonymity is to facilitate wrong

 by eliminating accountability‖ (quoted in [Framkin 1995]). Under the cloak of an online identity, which is easily created, edited and deleted, individuals

may feel protected being anonymous. However there is an obvious risk of misuse of 

anonymity. To eliminate such a risk, a United Nations agency is quietly drafting technical

standards, proposed by the Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original

source of Internet communications and potentially curbing the ability of users to remain

anonymous. Adapted from CNET News (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10040152-

38.html) Question (a) How different is having multiple personalities from having multiple online identities?  e. Education  

i. Accessibility of Information With the help of new media, information is now easily available. The teacher no longer holds

absolute authority over knowledge. Both the teachers and students can take part in knowledge

acquisition and creation.

Question(a)With increasing access to information, how has the role of teachers changed?

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(b)Are teachers redundant?

(linked to how we define education? Also the need for a teacher to help teach skills to process

the abundant information)

In addition, new media has provided the platform for distance learning which has transformed

the global education landscape.

Technology "will allow you to control the information you want, and to get it where you want

it and when you want it" - Randy Bennett (responsible for electronic-media initiatives at the

 Newspaper Association of America)

ii.Digital Divide ICTs are expected to improve efficiency and increase access to knowledge and expertise.

Thus it would appear that an inclusive information society will strengthen democracy,

increase social participation, remove barriers to modernization, and empower populationswho might have been left out of the development process. Thus ICT brings us one step closer 

to eradicating poverty.

Where a country has high levels of ICT skills and expertise, society will be better placed to

combat social exclusion and the information divide, as well as to identify opportunities for 

economic growth. From the individual standpoint, access to certain forms of ICTs may

increase the choices available to individuals. With increased access to information,

individuals are able to make more informed decisions. This is the very essence of 

empowerment.

Example:

In 1995, more than 2.2 million people in developing countries educated themselves through

on-line courses. At the same time, initiatives, such as the Health Internetwork, open up

communication lines and provide physicians and patients with up-to-the-minute medical

information and access to resources.

While some countries and people have benefitted from information communications

technology (ICT), more than 95% of the world still do not have electronic access. This gap

 between information-haves and information-have nots, that exists both between countries and

 between communities within countries, is known as the "digital divide" or "information

 poverty."

Evidence of the digital divide:

A computer costs one month's salary for the average American, compared with eight

years' income for the average Bangladeshi.

 A quarter of the world‘s countries still do not have one telephone per 100 people.

The United States has more computers than the rest of the world combined, andThailand has more cellular phones than the whole of Africa.

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Adapted from ICTs and Education indicators (Communication Statistics unit, UNESCO Institute for Statistics) 

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/partnership/material/ICT_Education_Paper_Nov_2006.pdf  

and 

UN cyberschoolbus (http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/technology/index.htm)

 f. Healthcare  

i. Playing God 

Scientists have now successfully cloned several kinds of animals and Craig Venter is well on

the way to creating the first functional artificial life form, Synthia: so-called synthetic biology.

These advances place the power of God in science‘s hands. The prospect of radical biological

modification of life on this planet is real. This raises the profoundest ethical issues.

The potential to improve the human condition using this kind of technology is an irresistible

fruit. But with it comes the dark side of supertechnology: the possibility of annihilation of life

on this planet. Synthetic biology and creating novel life forms by creating new DNA

sequences could be used to create organisms never before encountered on earth.

This kind of science will not and should not be stopped. The potential benefits are too great.

But with it, we require the most profound and overarching programme of radical moral

enhancement of human beings, using not just traditional methods of education but looking at

how we can alter our own biology to ensure that we become the kinds of beings fit to develop

and use supertechnology.

If we develop supertechnologies that will profoundly change the nature of life on this planet,

we need to become the gods fit to wield this power.

Craig Venter:

J. Craig Venter is an American biologist and businessman. He founded the Institute of 

Genome Research and was instrumental in mapping the human genome.

Adapted from Changing the Building Blocks of Life: Playing God and Being gods 

http://www.practicalethicsnews.com/practicalethics/2008/02/changing-the-bu.html 

Question

(a)What is your opinion on the use of science to ‗alter our biology‘ so as to make us morally

upright?

(b)Are there differences in our understanding of morality across cultures and time? If so, who

decides which morality to abide to?

ii. Producing Designer Children 

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Some people view the deliberate intervention in the natural process of procreation as an

unethical interference with the process of nature.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

Preimplantation genetic testing is a technique used to identify genetic defects in embryos

created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) before pregnancy. Preimplantation genetic

diagnosis (PGD) refers specifically to when one or both genetic parents have a known genetic

abnormality and testing is performed on an embryo to see if it also carries a genetic

abnormality.

Because only unaffected embryos are transferred to the uterus for implantation,

 preimplantation genetic testing provides an alternative to current postconception diagnostic

 procedures, which are frequently followed by the difficult decision of pregnancy termination

if results are unfavorable.http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/273415-overview 

As with all medical interventions associated with human reproduction, PGD gives rise to

strong and often conflicting views about the social acceptability of the procedure. For 

example, in Germany the use of PGD is prohibited by law. In the UK, PGD is permitted in

law but its operation is controlled by the state.

Reasons against PGD

Diagnosis of late-onset diseases and predisposition syndromes

A more recent application of PGD is to diagnose late-onset diseases and (cancer)

 predisposition syndromes. It can be argued that PGD for late-onset diseases is unethical since

the individuals remain healthy until the onset of the disease, usually in the fourth decade of 

life. On the other hand, the high probability or certainty of developing some disorders, and

their incurable nature, can lead to a stressful life, waiting for the first symptoms to occur and

to an early death. In the case of predisposition syndromes, such as BRCA1 mutations

 predisposing to breast cancer, it can be argued that there is no certainty of getting the disease

and that the disease can usually be treated.

PGD used for sex selection for non-medical reasons.

g. Blur r ing the boundaries between man and machine  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the area of computer science focusing on creating machines that

can engage on behaviors that humans consider intelligent. The ability to create intelligent

machines has intrigued humans since ancient times, and today with the advent of the

computer and 50 years of research into AI programming techniques, the dream of smart

machines is becoming a reality. Researchers are creating systems which can mimic human

thought, understand speech, beat the best human chessplayer, and countless other feats never  before possible.

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h. Envir onment  

Industrialization, deforestation, agricultural intensification, overfishing etc. have brought

about many environmental problems. i.Impact on the rich and the poor 

The environmental damage caused by rich nations disproportionately impacts poor nations

and costs them more than their combined foreign debt, according to a first-ever global

accounting of the dollar costs of countries' ecological footprints. (Science Daily, Jan 23, 2008)

The study makes clear, for example, that while deforestation and agricultural intensification

 primarily impact the host country, the impacts from climate change and ozone depletion are

spread widely over all nations.

"Low-income countries will bear significant burdens from climate change and ozone

depletion. But these environmental problems have been overwhelmingly driven by emission

of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting chemicals by the rest of the world," Srinivasan said.

Climate change is expected to increase the severity of storms and extreme weather, including

 prolonged droughts and flooding, with an increase in infectious diseases. Ozone depletion

mostly impacts health, with increases expected in cancer rates, cataracts and blindness All of 

these will affect vulnerable low-income countries disproportionately.

In addition to climate change and ozone depletion, overfishing and conversion of mangrove

swamps to shrimp farming are areas in which rich nations burden poor countries.

"Seafood derived from depleted fish stocks in low-income country waters ultimately ends up

on the plates of consumers in middle-income and rich countries," Srinivasan said. "The

situation is similar for farmed shrimp. For such a small, rare habitat, mangroves, when cut

down, exact a surprisingly large cost borne primarily by the poor- and middle-income

countries."

The primary cost is loss of storm protection, which some say was a major factor in the huge

loss of life from 2005's tsunami in Southeast Asia.

Deforestation, on the other hand, can exacerbate flooding and soil erosion, affect the water 

cycle and offshore fisheries and lead to the loss of recreation and of non-timber products such

as latex and food sources. Agricultural intensification can lead to drinking water 

contamination by pesticides and fertilizers, pollution of streams, salinization of croplands and biodiversity loss, among other impacts.

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When all these impacts are added up, the portion of the footprint of high-income nations that

is falling on the low-income countries is greater than the financial debt recognized for low

income countries, which has a net present value of 1.8 trillion in 2005 international dollars,

Srinivasan said. (International dollars are U.S. dollars adjusted to account for the different

 purchasing power of different currencies.) "The ecological debt could more than offset the

financial debt of low-income nations," she said.

Adapted from 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080121181408.htm 

(2)Political Impact 

i. A Surveillance Society 

=> Cameras everywhere

=> Tracking on the use of the internet

This results in increased power/ authority by the state over its people and it can potentially

create fear and paranoia amongst the masses. We can draw parallels with the panopticon.

The Panopticon is a type of   prison  building designed by English philosopher and social

theorist Jeremy Bentham  in 1785. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe

 prisoners without the prisoners being able to tell whether they are being watched, thereby

conveying what one architect has called the "sentiment of an invisibleomniscience."

Bentham himself described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over 

mind, in a quantity hitherto without example."

Parallel with the Novel: 1984 by George Orwell

Big Brother is a fictional character  in George Orwell's novel  Nineteen Eighty-Four , 

theenigmatic dictator  of  Oceania, a totalitarian state taken to its utmost logical consequence -

where the ruling elite ('the Party') wield total power for its own sake over the inhabitants.

In the society that Orwell describes, everyone is under complete surveillance  by the

authorities, mainly by telescreens. The people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase

"Big Brother is watching you", which is the core "truth" of the   propagandasystem in this state.

Question:

(a)How does the use of technology for surveillance infringe on our privacy? Does it matter?

ii. People Power 

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Technology has allowed the lateralization of communication systems, as mentioned in

Friedman‘s ―The World is Flat.‖ 

Governments seem powerless to stop the propagation of ideas: you can ban someone from the

country but you can‘t ban them from the internet. People are empowered by the new media. 

 Blogosphere 

E.g 1.

Vietnamese dissidents opposed to the one-party rule have been communicating through

Skype and recruiting via test message and voice-over-Internet chat rooms. Exiled Vietnamese

advocacy groups have been sending bulk email messages to accounts with Vietnamese

sounding names. These emails typically decry government corruption and urge ordinary

citizens to rise up and demand multi-party elections.

The country is increasingly wired. Like China, Vietnam uses a firewall to block access to pornography and political websites and is talking about censoring blogs – although that is

more difficult because most are posted on foreign-based websites.

(A Vietnamese ―War‖ in the Blogosphere, TIME, 17 Aug, 2007) 

E.g 2

Wikileaks is a website for whistle-blowers to post allegations of corporate

or government misconduct, while attempting to preserve the anonymity of its contributors.

Within one year of its December 2006 launch, its database had grown to more than 1.2

million documents.

 Notable leaks:

An ex-employee at a Zurich-based bank, Julius Baer posted materials detailing money

laundering and tax evasion at the Julius Baer‘s Cayman Islands branch. 

A copy of Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta  – the protocol of the U.S. Army at

the Guantánamo Bay detention camp  –  dated March 2003 was released on the Wikileaks

website on 7 November 2007. Its release revealed some of the restrictions placed over 

detainees at the camp, including the designation of some prisoners as off-limits to

the International Committee of the Red Cross, something that the U.S. military had in the past

repeatedly denied.

Website: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks 

iii.Misuse of the Internet 

E.g

Omar Mohammed Bakri  – founder of infamous al-Muhajiroun group  – fled Britain in 2006

and was barred from returning. In September 2008, he was addressing a meeting of around

100 young Muslims in Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, via live webcam link to his home inLebanon. (Guardian, 29 Oct, 2008)

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(3)Economic 

Technology has changed the face of retail, manufacturing and services

Shift to e-services

- Within 1 year of the creation of Expedia, the internet travel-agency, 13% of traditional

travel agency locations in the US closed down.

- eBAY and Amazon‘s success are built on the deaths of numerous traditional antique

stores and book shops.

Benefits:

- Convenience for consumers

- The internet serves as another platform for the industries to innovate and make profits

Disadvantages:

- Traditional stores close down- Jobs are displaced

- Decreased interaction and socialization amongst people

(4)Science and Science fiction 

Science fiction is a broad genre of  fiction that often involves speculations based on current or 

future science or  technology. Science fiction is found

in  books, art, television,films, games, theatre, and other media.

While science fiction provides criticism of developing and future technology, it also produces

innovation and new technology. Science fiction can be said to fire the technological

imagination. 

According to Michio Kaku, one of the world‘s most prominent physicists and co-founder of 

string field theory, ―many people don‘t realize that science fiction has been an inspiration for 

the world‘s leading scientists.‖ 

Criticism of future technology 

E.g: Gattaca 

The tale of a repressive nation which genetically-engineers its ruling classes, Gattaca makes it

seem that the logical outcome of genetic tampering is fascism. In reality, history has shown

that fascism can exist in the absence of modern science, and that genetic engineering is

merely a tool that can be put to good or bad uses. And yet the myth of genetic engineering

existing on a slippery slope toward social breakdown is a difficult one for experimental

 biologists to overcome.

E.g Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's classic novel of biomedical horror and scientists "playing God," this novel has

 probably done more to scare people away from biotech than almost any other science fiction

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story. This novel suggests that monstrosity and murder are the only possible outcome of 

science aimed at enhancing humans, or reusing human parts to create new kinds of life.

E.g Terminator 

The field of robotics became popular when people started obsessing over the well-known and

ever-expanding set of Terminator tales about an evil A.I. named Skynet who destroys

humanity with nukes and an army of nasty cyborg soldiers. In Terminator, it seems inevitable

that A.I. will lead to human destruction — except in the few, rare cases when the cyborgs are

forcibly reprogrammed

Inspiration for future technology 

E.g Look to Windward 

One of Ian M. Banks novels about a post-human Culture where enhanced humans live

alongside A.I.s in an anarchic, trans-galactic society, Look to Windward explores the wayhumans can maintain their basic identities and ethical values no matter how much they

tamper with their genes or modify their morphology. For Banks, synthetic biology is simply a

logical way that humans extend their capabilities, but it does not turn them into monsters or 

make them authoritarian overlords.

E.g Michaelmas

A novel published by Algis Budrys in 1977 described a worldwide web of 

telecommunications and computer data, not unlike what we see today.

More information about the novel:

The eponymous  protagonist, Laurent Michaelmas, is an ex-hacker  who had early in the

computer era left " back doors" in many key pieces of software which run vital government

and commercial computers. As a result, by the turn of the millennium, he has become one of 

the most powerful men on earth, because of his ability to spy and influence through the

worldwide computer network.

By the time of the novel, Laurent Michaelmas has successfully used his power to create and

sustain a powerful version of the United Nations to ensure world peace. He stays in the

 background, however, as a  journalist, albeit a highly influential and respected one whose

words and opinions can still influence public opinion. However, as the novel progresses,

Michaelmas slowly learns that a possible extraterrestrial  presence may be interfering with the

new world he has worked so hard to create.

The novel is remarkable for its prescience, because it appeared less than a decade into

the Internet era, long before its current prominence and ubiquity.

Adapted fr om http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M ichaelmas_(novel)  

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E.g Star Wars

Most prominent areas of research inspired by the film are ‗hyper -drive‘ and robotics research

inspired by Luke Skywalker‘s ever reliable R2D2 and C3PO. 

Question:

(a) Can you think of any other works of science fiction which criticize or inspire future

technology?

Past year exam questions:

Year  Science & Technology: Advancements and impact  Source 2008  Science has been a scapegoat for the ills of modern society.‘ Comment.  DH 2008  It is more important to educate young Singaporeans in Science than

Arts.   NYJC 

2008  Scientific research and applications which are exploitative should not beallowed.  SAJC 

2008  Can spending on space research ever be justified when it has little practical use?  SAJC 

2008  Effective communication in the technological age requires the writtenword more than the spoken one. Comment.  SAJC 

2007  The computer has done more harm than good to society. Is this true?  AJC 2007  Do you agree with the view, eventually technology will always solve

the problems it creates?  HCI 2006  How technology changed the way we do business?  CJC 2005  We are losing more than we gain through our advances in Science.‘

Discuss.   NYJC 2003  Advances that make life more comfortable also make it more

dangerous.‘ How far is this true?  JJC 

2003 

To what extent have science and technology solved problems for the poor?  JJC 

2002  Science gives us the illusion of being in control. Discuss.  AJC 2000  Modern technology has given us many time-saving devices, and yet we

often complain that we have no time. Why?  TPJC 2000  Big Brother is watching.‘ The computer, instead of being Man‘s friend,

is his most insidious enemy. To what extent do you agree with thisview? 

TPJC 

2000 

The advancements in Science and Technology today have bothempowered and weakened Man. Discuss.   NYJC 

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