Technology and the Tragic View

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Technology and the Tragic View

• Samuel C. Florman
• Chapter 5
• Presented by Melissa Wright
• Monica Young

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Tragedy

• Tragedy is uplifting. It depicts heroes
  wrestling with fate. It is mans destiny to die,
  to be defeated by the forces of the universe. But
  in challenging his destiny, in being brave,
  determined, ambitious, resourceful, the tragic
  hero shows to what heights a human being can
  soarTragic drama is an affirmation of the value
  of life.
• (Teich, 42)

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The Tragic View

• By saying that I espouse the tragic view of
  technology I mean to ally myself with those who,
  aware of the dangers and without foolish
  allusions about what can be accomplished, still
  want to move on, actively seeking to realize our
  constantly changing vision of a more satisfactory
  society.
• (Teich, 44)

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Tragic Hero vs. Questing Technologist

• Tragedys commitment to freedom, to the
  unflinching exploration of the possible
• Tragic heroes are defeated by the forces of the
  universe

• The law of the possible Whatever is possible
  for technology to do technology is obliged to do
  (Volti, 14)
• We have come face to face with limits we had
  presumed to hope might not exist

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• The more I researched the history of American
  know-how, the more I perceived that practically
  every technological advance had unexpected and
  unwanted side effects.
• What are some examples of technological
  innovations that have both positive and negative
  aspects?

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• Do you think the consequences of taking action
  outweigh the consequences of not taking action,
  or vice versa?

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• In viewing technology through a tragic prism, we
  are at once exalted by its accomplishments and
  sobered by its limitations.
• The tragic view is consistent with good
  citizenship. It advocates making the most of our
  opportunities it challenges us to do the work
  that needs doing.

8

• For all our apprehensions, we have no choice
  but to press ahead. We must do so, first, in the
  name of compassion. By turning our backs on
  technological change, we would be expressing our
  satisfaction with current world levels of hunger,
  disease, and privationWe simply cannot stop
  while there are masses to feed and diseases to
  conquer, seas to explore and heavens to survey.