4.0 Intended Learning Outcomes and Topics 4.

1 When Technology and Humanity Cross

Introduction

Good afternoon! Our topic for today is the interconnection between

technology and humanity. Gone are the days when you can see
children playing on the street because at present they are glued on
the use of their cellphone playing computer games or communicating Introduction
with their friends using social media. One of the advantages of
computer technology especially in the field of education is quick Good day! We are going to take up human rights and its connection
access to the internet when making research or assignment to science, technology, and development. Since we are living in a
modern world, we experience comforts and joy in using these
Whereas, during our time we have to go to the library and look for modern gadgets. Gone are the days when everything is done
possible references for our assignment. Time is so fleeting that manually from washing clothes, fetching water, cooking food using
everything is changing at a fast pace that we try to adapt ourselves to firewood, and even communicating with our loved ones. As time
the changing times and we tend to forget the importance of social passes by, we are totally engrossed with these inventions without us
relationships. Thereby, neglecting the very essence of human realizing that it is taking its toll on our existence as human beings.
existence. Are these inventions benefitting us or our rights are already being
violated because these inventions are going beyond the parameters?
     In addition, we are also going to take up human rights based
These are the important things that we need to find out so that we
approach in relation to science and technology..Why is it important
can balance everything and do not forget the very reason for human
to  consider human rights when embarking on scientific exploits and
existence.
technological advancements. These are the questions that we need
to answer as we go over our lesson..i hope you find this topic Intended Learning Outcomes
interesting.
At the end of the discussion, you are expected to

To start with our lesson, may I give to you the following 1. explain the human rights-based approach to science,
technology, and development; 
Intended Learning Outcomes 2. examine the importance of human rights to science and
technological advancements
At the end of the discussion, you are expected to 3. discuss  the importance of upholding human rights in
science, technology, and development.
1. explain human rights-based approach to science, 4. discuss the principles of the three key documents that
technology, and development; ensure the well- being of humans in the midst of scientific
2. identify key documents and their principles that ensure the progress and technological development.
well--being of humans in the midst of scientific  progress and
technological development; and  Discussion
3. discuss the importance of upholding human rights in
science, technology, and development. To start with the topic,  please click the video on digital
4. discuss the principles of the three key documents that transformation that shows what happens when technology and
ensure the well- being of humans in the midst of scientific humanity cross. Make sure to comprehend and analyze and be ready
progress and technological development for a discussion. 
5.  analyze carefully the main idea of the essay
6. discuss thoroughly the comprehension questions extracted H - human beings'
from the essay. U - unequivocal
7. share one"s insights regarding  the interconnection of
technology and humanity M - means 
A - and privilege that 
All right, to attain the above-intended learning outcomes, we have the
following topics. N - need to be 
R-  respected
Topics
I  - in order to
1.  When Technology and Humanity Cross G - gain success for humanity
2.  Why the Future Does Not Need Us
T  - today and tomorrow in relation to 
S-  Science and Technology
What are human rights? sustainable approach to bridging the gap between poor and rich
countries on both tangible and intangible aspects. Ultimately, all
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our these will lead humans to flourish together through science and
nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, technology.
religion, language, and the like.
Summary
Human rights in the face of technological and scientific advancement
are critical factors in one's journey toward a good life. Protecting the In summary, the good life entails living in a just and progressive
well-being and protecting the dignity of the human person must be at society whose citizens have the freedom to flourish. The human
the core of continued scientific and technological progress and person has the autonomy to make choices which may enable the
development. Such is the focus of the human rights-based approach flourishing of his/her self and society. To be able to attain such a
to science, technology, and society. good life, one must need to exercise, and to protect his or her rights
for human dignity is the ultimate core of man's existence. Thus, the
The following are the three important documents: United Nations proclaimed UDHR  as a global standard to ensure
that the rights of a person are recognized and appreciated by
1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights -This document individuals regardless of race, gender, religion, and education. Also,
affirms everyone's right to participate in and benefit from whatever endeavors one has to engage, whether scientific or not one
scientific advances, and be protected from scientific needs to know that human rights must be protected in the face of
misuse. The right to the benefits of science comes under the challenging conditions.
domain of 'culture,' so it is usually examined from a cultural
rights perspective. 4.2 Why the Future Does Not Need Us?

Introduction
2. UNESCO Recommendation of the Status of Scientific
Researchers- This document that all advances in scientific and Our world is facing many changes due to technological
technological knowledge should solely be geared towards the advancements. It is happening across the world to meet the need of
welfare of the global citizens, and calls upon member states to the changing times Those who were born many decades ago are
develop necessary protocol policies to monitor and secure this having a hard time adjusting to these changes. Whereas, Generation
objective. Countries are asked to show that science and z is enjoying the comforts provided by these modern inventions We
technology are integrated into policies that aim to ensure a cannot deny the fact that these technological advancements are very
more humane and just society. helpful in our day to day living. But coinciding with these comforts are
the effects on our social behavior because we are being isolated
3. UNESCO Declaration on the Use of Scientific Knowledge- from the outside world due to addiction to these gadgets. 
This document states, "Today, more than ever, science and its
applications are indispensable for development. All levels of What is alarming are inventions that encroach upon the natural order
government and the private sector should provide enhanced of creation like genetic engineering, robotics, and even
support for building up adequate and evenly distributed supercomputers. We have to take a closer look at these inventions
scientific and technological capacity through appropriate and ask ourselves whether we are gaining something from it or we
education and research programs as an indispensable are losing many things from it because, in the end, the main objective
foundation for economic, social, cultural, and environmentally should be - what is good for humanity. 
sound development. This is particularly urgent for developing
countries." This declaration encompasses issues such as  
pollution-free production, efficient resources use, biodiversity
Intended Learning Outcomes
protection, and brain drains.
At the end of the discussion, you are expected to
A human rights- approach to science, technology, and development
sets the parameters for the appraisal of how science, technology, 1. Analyze carefully the main idea of the essay.
and development promote human well-being. 2. Discuss thoroughly the comprehension questions extracted
Thus, the discussion on human rights in the face of the changing from the essay.
scientific and technological contexts must not serve as merely a 3. share one’s insights regarding  the interconnection of
decorative moral dimension of scientific and technological policies technology and humanity
but rather the very heart of sustainable futures.
Discussion
Human rights should be integrated into the journey toward the
ultimate good.  They should guide humans not only to flourish as The link below will give you a summary of why the future does not
individual members of society but also to assist each other in need us. Please watch the video so that you can participate in the
flourishing collectively as a society. Human rights are rights to discussion.
sustainability, as Mukherjee put it. They may function as the "golden
mean," particularly by protecting the weak, poor, and vulnerable from The article, "Why the Future Does Not Need Us ?" was written by
deficiencies and excesses of science and technology. By imposing William Nelson Joy, an American computer scientist of Sun
upon science and technology the moral and ethical duty to protect Microsystems. In his article, Joy warned against the rapid rise of new
and uphold human rights, there can be a more effective and technologies. He explained that 21st-century technologies are
becoming very powerful that they can potentially bring about new In this module, we had discussed the following:
classes of accidents, threats, and abuses.  He further warned that
these dangers are even pressing because they do not require large 1. explain the human rights-based approach to science,
facilities or even rare raw materials-knowledge alone will make them technology, and development.
potentially harmful to humans.  2. examine the importance of human rights in relation to
scientific and technological advancements.
Joy argued that robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology 3. identify key documents and their principles that ensure the
pose much greater threats than technological developments that well- being of humans in the midst of scientific progress and
have come before. He particularly cited the ability of nanobots to self- technological development.
replicate, which quickly gets out of control. in the article, he cautioned 4. discuss the importance of upholding human rights in
humans against over-dependence on machines. science, technology, and development.
Joy also voiced out his apprehension about the rapid increase in 5.  analyze carefully the main idea of the essay
computer power. He was concerned that computers will eventually 6. discuss thoroughly the comprehension question.extracted
dystopian visions, such as robot rebellions. To illuminate his from the essay.
concerns, Joy drew from Theodore Kaczynski's book, Unabomber 7. share one"s insights regarding  the interconnection of
Manifesto, where Kaczynski described that the unintended technology and humanity
consequences of the design and use of technology are clearly
related to Murphy's Law: " Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. " In summary,  we believe that the world is undergoing many changes
Kaczynski argued further that over-reliance on antibiotics led to the in a fast pace manner brought about by inventions in the field of
great paradox of emerging antibiotic-resistant strains of dangerous science and technology. Although we could not discount the benefits
bacteria. that we reap from these inventions, it is very important that alongside
with these technological advancements, scientists need to show
Since the publication of the article, Joy's argument against twenty- concern for humanity by safeguarding their very existence which is of
first-century technologies has received both criticisms and utmost importance than the pleasure, comfort, and financial gain that
expressions of shared concern.  Critics dismissed Joy's article for we can get from these inventions.
deliberately presenting information in an imprecise manner that
obscures the larger picture or state of things. For one, John Seely      . There is nothing wrong with desiring for technological
and Paul Duguid (2001), in their article, A Response to Bill Joy and advancement ,for as long as a thorough study should be done before
doom-and-gloom Technofuturists, criticize Joy's failure to consider embarking on any scientific exploits because we could not resort to
social factors and only deliberately focused on one part of the larger senseless approach in pursuing any form of scientific inventions that
picture. Others go as far as accusing Joy of being a neo-Luddite, would be detrimental to the  welfare of human race.
someone who rejects new technologies and shows technophobic
leanings.      In this regard, there should be a concerted effort among the
stakeholders like scientific community, government , businessmen to
As a material, Joy's article tackles the unpleasant and uncomfortable engage in a discussion to determine the safeguards of humans
possibilities that a senseless approach to scientific and technological against the potential dangers of these inventions.
advancements may bring. Whether Joy's propositions are a real
possibility or an absolute moonshot, it is unavoidable to think of the Links.
future that will no longer need the human race.  It makes thinking
about the roles and obligations of every stakeholder a necessary Summary of Bill Joy’s, “Why the future doesn’t need us,”
component of scientific and technological advancement. In this case, Bill Joy (1954 – ) is an American computer scientist who co-founded
it is preeminently necessary that the scientific community, Sun Microsystems in 1982 and served as chief scientist at the
governments, and businesses engage in a discussion to determine company until 2003. His now famous Wired magazine essay, “Why
the safeguards of humans against the potential dangers of science the future doesn’t need us,” (2000) sets forth his deep concerns over
and technology. the development of modern technologies.[i] 

Joy traces his worries to a discussion he had with Ray Kurzweil at a

Summary conference in 1998. He had read an early draft of Kurzweil’s The
Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human
In summary, modern times have various technological advancements Intelligence  and found it deeply disturbing. Subsequently, he
in all forms and sizes.it may be inside the home, office, and the encountered arguments by the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
workplace. It makes life easier, however, it can also destroy life at the Kaczynski argued that if machines do all of society’s work, as they
same time if not used properly  inevitably will, then we can: a) let the machines make all the
decisions; or b) maintain human control over the machines.
In short, technology has its own advantages, benefits as well as its
disadvantages. As pointed out by McNamara (2018) in the essay
entitled "Why the Future Does Not need Us" that science and If we choose “a” then we are at the mercy of our machines. It is not
technology may be the highest expression of human rationality. that we would give them control or that they would take control,
People can shape or they may destroy the world through science and rather, we might become so dependent on them that we would have
technology, too. to accept their commands. If we choose “b” then control would be in
the hands of an elite, and the masses would be unnecessary. In that
Module 4 Summary case, the tiny elite: 1) would exterminate the masses; 2) reduce their
birthrate so they slowly became extinct; or 3) become benevolent
shepherds to the masses. The first two scenarios entail our
extinction, but even the third option is bad. In this last scenario, the
elite would fulfill all physical and psychological needs of the masses,
while at the same time engineering the masses to sublimate their
desire for power. In this case, the masses might be happy, but they
wouldn’t be free. Joy finds Kaczynski’s arguments both convincing
and troubling.

About this time Joy read Hans Moravec’s book Robot: Mere Machine

to Transcendent Mind where he found predictions similar to
Kurzweil’s. Joy was especially concerned by Moravec’s claim that
technological superiors always defeat technological inferiors, as well
as his claim that humans will become extinct as they merge with the
robots. Disturbed, Joy consulted other computer scientists who, for
the most part, agreed with these predictions.

Joy’s worries focus on the transforming technologies of the

21st century—genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics (GNR). What is
particularly problematic about them is their potential to self-replicate.
This makes them inherently more dangerous than 20th-century
technologies—nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons—which are
expensive to build and require rare raw materials. By contrast, 21st-
century technologies allow for small groups or individuals to bring
about massive destruction. Joy also argues that we will soon achieve
the computing power necessary to implement some of the scenarios
envisioned by Kurzweil and Moravec, but worries that we
overestimate our design abilities. Such hubris may lead to disaster.

For example, robotics is primarily motivated by the desire to be

immortal—by downloading ourselves into them. But Joy doesn’t
believe that we will be human after the download or that the robots
would be our children. As for genetic engineering, it will create new
crops, plants, and eventually new species including many variations
of human species, but Joy fears that we don’t know enough to safely
conduct such experiments. And nanotechnology confronts the so-
called “gray goo” problem—self-replicating nanobots out of control. In
short, we may be on the verge of killing ourselves. Is it not arrogant,
he wonders, to design a robot replacement species when we so often
make design mistakes?

Joy concludes that we ought to relinquish these technologies before

it’s too late. Yes, GNR may bring happiness and immortality, but
should we risk the survival or the species for such goals? Joy thinks
not.

Summary – Genetics, nanotechnology and robotics are too

dangerous to pursue; we should abandon them. (I think Joy’s call for
relinquishment is unrealistic. For more see my peer-reviewed essay
“Critique of Bill Joy’s ‘Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us.’“)