Lesson 4 - When Technology

and Humanity Cross

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
 know the different technological advancements in society;
discuss the development of science and technology in the Philippines;
Discuss the effects of the interplay between technology and humanity through the dilemma(s)
they face.
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 words techne and logos
which mean art and word, respectively.
Taking the two words together, technology means a discourse on arts (Buchanan, 2010).
It first appeared in the 17th century where the concept was only used to talk about the arts,
specially applied arts.
However, when technology progressed, the concept also started to have a wider range of
meaning where art is no longer the only topic included.
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 or not.
In fact, most people survive their everyday lives with great reliance to the different technological
advancements already available to the masses.
While there may be some who would claim that their lives are not greatly affected by technology, the
fact cannot be denied that technology is already an inevitable part of the society.
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 outside the office or
laboratory.
Technology these days enjoys the fame and glory because of the many different benefits it brings to
mankind.
Some would even say that it does not only bring convenience but also pleasure and happiness to people.
This is because of the different leisure activities that technology can offer to people.
For example, it allows people to listen to good music wherever they are.
Another is, it allows them to communicate with their loved ones anywhere in the world; but most of all,
it allows them to surf and play games anytime, anywhere.
The act of pinpointing a single activity that does not in any way require the use of technology has
become very hard because almost all activities that humans perform already require the assistance of
some kind of technological advancement.
But this is not all; for there are people who would even argue that technology has become a necessity
and no longer a want.
At present, people work very hard in order to save money to buy these “necessities” while in the past,
people only used their money for the things that would help them survive like food, housing, and clothing.
In effect, anything outside these categories was considered a luxury.
However, that is no longer the case at present.
In general, technology keeps on progressing due to not only the changing times and environment but
also to the ever-progressing mind of mankind.
It would not be possible for all these technological advancements to exist if it were not for the brilliance,
creativeness, and power of the mind.
However, it is also important to note that anything too much is bad.
The same problem is faced by technology.
Although it has been very helpful to people, it is still not immune to criticisms and backlash.
Various ethical dilemmas have been identified throughout time involving the use of different technological
devices and its effects to humanity.
Usually, different problems arise when either the technological device available is misused or if it in the first
place, it was invented to produce bad results.
People who are aware of the possible dangers of the use or misuse of technology are not keeping still.
They lay these dilemmas for the public to see and realize what they are in for.
In this lesson, several technological devices will be properly introduced, the roles they play in society and
their effects, particularly to the lives of the people will be identified, and the problems they face will also be
examine thoroughly.
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 across all age groups.
Almost all households, 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 around the world use these technologies everyday to accomplish different purposes.
First, according to Kantar Media, one of the most trusted television audience measurement providers,
in the Philippines, 92% of the urban homes and 70% 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 Filipino 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).
This number signifies something, that is, television plays a great role in the lives of the people or in
this case, the Filipinos.
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
messages 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% product ownership in
the country.
In fact, it was also claimed that mobile phones are considered a must-have among young Filipinos (ABC-
CBN News, 2010).
To prove that Filipinos really love to use their phones, th 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% 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 communications 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-minute talk time.
However, it took 10 hours to charge.
In 1983, Motorola made their first commercial mobile phone available to the public.
It was known as the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (Goodwin, 2016).
Lastly, computers and laptops have also become part of many of the Filipino households.
There are some Filipino families who own more than one computer or laptop while some own at least
one computer or laptop.
However, the number of computers or laptops sold per year may not be as high as the number of mobile phones
and television sets.
This is because of the relatively higher cost of computers and laptops.
While it is true that almost all Filipino families own at least one television set and a mobile phone, it is not possible
for all Filipino families to own at least one computer or laptop.
In fact, most of the profits gained by computer and laptop manufacturers come from offices, businesses, or schools
where such devices have become part of their necessities.
In 2010, 3.6 trillion was the estimated total value output of all manufacturing establishments.
Semi-conductor devices and other electronic components took more than half of the total value output of all
manufacturing establishments.
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 number 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 19th century English Mathematics professor, who designed the Analytical Engine which
was used as the basic framework of the computers even until the present time.
In general, computers can be classified into three generations.
Each generation of the computer was used for a certain period of time and each gave people a
new and improved version of the previous one (Steitz, n.d.)
Laptops have been available to the public for even less time than personal computers.
Before, the first design of computer was so big that it could occupy whole floors of building.
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 those devices to be portable.
It was believed that the transition from a personal computer to a laptop was only a matter of
design, an improvement and a little deviation from the standard design of a personal computer.
The first true portable computer was released in April 1981.
It was called the Osborne 1 (Orfano, 2011).
From that moment on, the evolution of laptops continued until the present time where various
designs and models are already available.
A typical household owns at least four of the following devices: a mobile phone (89%),
smartphone (53%), tablet (14%), desktop (39%), laptop or netbooks (37%), and smart TV (4%)
(Philstar, 2013).
These data prove the deep-seated fascination of Filipinos to different technological devices.
Here are some facts about Filipinos and their use of gadgets and their Internet (Rappler, n.d.)
Mobile phone subscription is at 119 million.
Filipinos spend approximately 3.2 hours on mobile and 5.2 hours on desktop daily.
Currently, the Philippines has one of the highest digital populations in the world.
There are now 47 million active Facebook accounts in the Philippines.
The Philippin3es is the fastest-growing application market in Southeast Asia.
Roles Played by These Technological Advancements
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 technological 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 to Filipino families.
Television also is a good platform for different propagandas and advocates.
Lastly, it can also be a good way to bond with one’s 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.
In the past these were the only functions of the mobile phone but as technology progressed, there have been many
additional features included in the mobile phones.
For example, in the present, people use their mobile phones to surf the Internet and to take pictures more than to text
or to call people.
This is the reason why more and more people all over the world prefer to buy smartphones over the old models where
such features are not available.
Other applications include music player, calendar, radio, television, and photo editor, among others.
These are just some of the additional features of mobile phones in the present.
These make this particular technological device very appealing to the masses.
It is like an all-in-one device.
In addition, it is very portable and convenient because it can fit into any space, may it be inside the pocket or bag.
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.
For example, personal computers and laptops can be used to surf the Internet and communicate.
Just like the mobile phones, these devices also have features like calendar, calculator, music player, movie player,
camera, and many more.
However, for a lot of people, they prefer to do their job using either a personal computer or a laptop than a mobile
phone.
One reason is that a personal computer or a laptop has wide keyboard than using a mobile phone, especially when the
mobile phone has a small screen.
Contrary to mobile phones, personal computers and laptops have wide screens and separate keyboards, although some
mobile phones can now be connected to a keyboard.
Another reason is that the availability of a mouse or a touchpad made these two technological devices easier to
maneuver than mobile phones.
Lastly, for the youth and those who love to play different computer games, personal computers or laptops
are really the better choice because these allow them to play with comfort and convenience.
However, it cannot be denied that some would even prefer laptops over personal computers for the simple
reason that personal computers are not portable and there are times when they need to bring such devices
to different places.
Ethical Dilemmas Faced by These Technological Advancements
While it is true that these technological devices are useful and beneficial, the fact remains that there are
several dilemmas faced by these “necessities”.
First, most parents would agree that these devices make their children lazy and unhealthy.
This is because of the fact that people who are fixated on these technological advancements 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 exercise or any
bodily movements.
Here, it can be inferred that these types of people are already overly dependent on these technological
devices.
For example, those who love to watch television shows stay in front of the television for more than six
hours a day while those who love to surf the Internet or play computer games stay on their laptops,
computers, or mobile phones for more than half a day.
These people have the tendency to be unaware of the time because they are so engrossed with the use
of technological devices.
If fact, if they get disturbed, there is s great chance that they will get mad or annoyed.
Moreover, these are the same people who are more likely to experience alienation because they no
longer take time to get out of their homes 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.
Because of the availability and easy access to the Internet, they can just easily search the web and go to
different websites without restrictions.
This allows them to see, read, or hear things which are not suitable for their very young age.
This makes them very vulnerable to character change and can greatly affect the way they view the
world and the things around them.
On the first dilemma, it is really concerning to know that there are people who develop different kinds
of sickness because of too much use of technological devices.
Not only this, it also causes them to become reclusive, alienating themselves from other people.
Although some would argue that technology brings people together, it can also be argued that this is not
always the case in the real world because it may bring them virtually closer but not physically or personally.
In fact, there are people who are friends, for example, only on social media but not in real life.
This just shows that there are things that technology claims to do but in reality, does not.
It is for these reasons why there are people who call for the establishments of ethics of technology.
This subcategory of ethics will in one way or another guide people on how technology ought to be used in
order to prevent abuse and other unfortunate results.
Digging deeper, it can be said that these reasons make such devices somewhat 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 problems that can no longer be addressed by using these theories
only.
This is why the ethics of responsibility is an appropriate theory that can be used in these 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 the scientific-
technological development a proxy with reference to one another.
In other words, each person must indicate the priorities, values, norms, and principles, that
constitute the grounds for one’s actions and define one’s contribution to the scientific-technological
event.
The ethics of responsibility focuses on the positive 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 in 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.
In addition to this, the agents using the devices should also be accountable for their use of their
gadgets.
Going back to the first dilemma, it can be said that the agents using the devices are the ones to be
blamed for the undesirable consequences, namely, laziness and unhealthiness.
However, it is the assumption that the people in the scientific-technological world have properly
informed the public of the positive tenor of action in technology and the possible dangers of the
misuse of their technological contribution.
Thus, the undesirable consequences are brought about by the misuse of the agent.
Now, talking about alienation, it can be concluded that the people in the scientific-technological
world are blameworthy because they tell the people something that seems positive but when
examine closely, brings more bad than good.
On the second dilemma, the people in the scientific world nor the children are blameworthy
because 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 children of pros and cons of
these technological contributions, 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 adults 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 adults that cause the character change in children.
Robotics and Humanity
Another great product of the innovative minds of the people is 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 masters 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 or 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 robot or a service robot for personal use is a service robot used for a noncommercial
task, usually by laypersons.
Examples are domestic servant robot, automated wheelchair, personal mobility assist robot, and pet
exercising robot.
A professional service robot or a service robot for professional use is a service robot used for a commercial
task, usually operated by a properly trained operator. Examples are cleaning robot for public places, delivery
robot in offices or hospitals, fire-fighting robot, rehabilitation robot, and surgery robot in hospitals.
In this context, an operator is a person designated 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, 2009):
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 table will be moved to where
they belong;
(2) “Fill the dishwasher” – the dirty dishes will be sorted correctly into the dishwasher; and
(3) “Clear up this room” – all objects that ate not in their proper places will be moved to where
they belong (Mock, n.d.)
The earliest conception of robots can be traced around 3000 B.C. from the Egyptians.
Their water clocks used human figurines to strike the hour bells.
This mechanical device was built to carry out a specific physical task regularly.
From that time on, 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 statues 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 from the words “Universal Automation”.
Unfortunately, his attempt to sell his product to the industry did not succeed.
After Unimate several robots were also invented which were better versions of the previous ones (Stanford,
n.d.).
Ever since, people never stopped their quest in the field of robotics.
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 workload of mankind.
They were invented to make life more efficient and less stressful.
On one hand, they perform complicated activities which human beings are incapable of doing.
On the other hand, they perform the simplest tasks at home so that their masters can perform the complex
ones without stressing themselves over the simple tasks.
There are also robots which are made for pleasure.
To be more specific, these types of robots perform activities to entertain people.
They can usually be found in amusement parks or exhibits.
In addition, there are also some robots which were made to serve as toys.
They also perform different activities but they are usually child-friendly.
Other examples of robots are those which can be seen in movies.
One of the reasons why robots are very famous is because of movies.
A number of local and national movies were inspired by robots.
This goes to show that people have developed a distinct fascination over robots.
Just like people living in the society, robots also have their own set of rules and characteristics that
define what a good robot is.
These laws were formulated by Isaac Asimov in the 1940s, when he was thinking of the ethical
consequences of robots.
These are the following (Stanford, n.d.):
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 with 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 Robotics
Just like any other technological advancements, robotics also faces different problems and dilemmas.
Although the idea is to help people and make their lives a lot easier than before, it is still not immune to different
ethical dilemmas and possible undesirable outcomes.
One of the dilemmas faced by robots is safety.
Who should be held accountable if someone’s safety is compromised by a robot?
Who should be blamed, the robot, the agent using the robot, or the maker/inventor of the robot?
It is important to know who should be blamed and who should be held responsible if such things happen.
Another ethical dilemma faced by robots is the emotional component.
This may seem a little absurd as of the moment, but looking at how fast technology progresses nowadays, it is not
completely impossible for robots to develop emotions (Evans, 2007)
So here, the questions become, “What if robots become sentient?
Should they be granted robot rights?
Should they have their own set of rights to be upheld, respected, and protected by humans?”
It is interesting to know how people would react if the time comes when robots can already feel pain and
pleasure.
Would they act differently or not at all?
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 with full autonomy can perform actions or activities even without a master telling it
what should be done or what should be performed 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 that 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 problem arise when the robot deviates from the laws specified, then the maker or the
inventor of the machine should be blameworthy.
It just means that the robot was not programmed very well because it violated the laws.
Other problems may arise when the machine develops the ability to think for itself.
In this case, the one that should be blame can both be the maker or inventor and the robot
itself.
This is because, in the first place, the maker gave the robot the capacity to think for itself so he
should be very much aware of its possible consequences.
To put it in another way, the maker programmed the robot in such a way that it can already
think for itself even without an active participation from a human being.
In addition, since the robot thinks for itself, whatever decision 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 with 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 emotions.
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.

End of the Lesson…