Does Technology Bring About Man's Downfall?

Technology will bring about man’s downfall. Do you agree? In 1853, the Charles Mallory, a marvel of maritime technology of that time, landed in Hawaii. It only took 13 days, setting a record for the trip from San Francisco to Hawaii. However, any celebration soon stopped as the news spread that the ship brought smallpox to the Hawaiian islands, which eventually killed a fifth of Hawaii’s population. As this story attests, technological achievements do not always lead to progress; they could hide unexpected dangers that can bring about mankind’s downfall. In this essay, I define technology as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, while “man’s downfall” as catastrophe for mankind. I argue that technology will bring

Firstly, technology has made man too dependent on it, opening up unexpected vulnerabilities that could lead to man’s downfall. Much of technology aims to make humans less dependent on nature and gain superiority over our environment, but this is done at the risk of over-reliance on such technology, and if such technology fails, humanity could face a huge crisis. For instance, the invention and widespread application of electricity in our lives has brought immense convenience and utility to the extent that almost every activity requires it. Electricity is paramount to the functioning of transport systems through powering trains, traffic lights and road lights, and hospitals utilise it to power their life-saving tools. Our infrastructure relies on electricity to work. However, the supply of electricity could be fragile. A research report in 2008 estimated that there is a 12% chance of an extreme solar flare hitting Earth by 2022, and its impact on our civilisation could be enormous. The report showed that the solar flare could lead to disruption of electricity generating facilities and subsequently infrastructures around the world that could cost trillions of dollars and take years or even decades to recover from. It could cripple our infrastructure so severely that it could lead to an apocalyptic breakdown of society, as communication, finance, medical and many other systems could not function properly without

We are an incredible species as the only beings in existence, to the extent of our knowledge, who have progressed this far. While technology holds great power and potential to further empower humanity, it can easily go awry and lead to catastrophic consequences, letting our collective achievements come to a sad end. We must engage in conversation about technology and be resolved to tackle the challenges ahead. We must take collective action to secure our future before it is too late. We must remember that billions of future human lives are all quietly looking at us, hoping that we get it