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Myrline Montilus
Dr. Oguine
ENGL-1201-ZFE
Persuasive Essay
November 17, 2004
Technology: A Benefit to Our Society
Over the last century, our world has evolved so much, because of the growth of the
technological field. Although we spend a lot of money in order to gain new information, the
reward goes far beyond the cost of money. In this case, the reward is the ability to save the lives
of millions of people. In his essay, “The Technology of Medicine,” Lewis Thomas describes the
three levels of technology; Nontechnology, Halfway Technology, and Effective Technology
(582-583). “Nontechnology” has become the therapeutic part of technology, which helps patients
through the emotional and mental effects that a disease can have on them. “Halfway
Technology” is the name given to procedures, such as transplants, that prevent deaths of patients
from the failure of certain organs of their bodies. However, the most important level is “Effective
Technology” which consists of inventions used to help manage, eliminate or detect certain types
of diseases before they have a chance to progress to higher levels within patients’ bodies. All
these gadgets show that technology can be used as a benefit to humankind, only when used for
the correct reasons to avoid such disasters as the cancer caused by bomb testing in Terry
Williams’ essay, “The Clan of One-breasted Women.”
Effective technology has not only touched the lives of people living in the United
States, but those living all around the world as well. Through the invention of immunizations, we
have been able to eliminate many diseases, such as smallpox, that have caused the death of
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millions of people in past generations. If not for the invention of antibiotics, the time and money
that would be spent on treatments for infections would be much greater than the amount that we
spend on technology today. Also, by having one treatment for a particular type of disease or
infection, the medical field can avoid any claims of discrimination, since everyone gets treated
with the same vaccination.
Without technology, humans could not possibly know as much as we do about terrifying
diseases such as AIDS and Cancer. Although we have not yet invented a cure for neither disease,
we have developed many drugs and other sources of treatment that could help delay death for a
patient. In the case of Cancer, many people have even been able to overcome the disease through
treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Stephen Jay Gould, focuses on one of these
terrifying diseases in his essay, “The Terrifying Normalcy of AIDS.” Gould states that “John
Platt recognized that the limited data on the origin of AIDS and its spread in America suggested
a more frightening prospect: we are all susceptible to AIDS” (594); but by using technology
along with our God-given knowledge, we will hopefully be able to find a cure to this destructive
disease.
Technology has also provided families with the gift of life. Everyday, many children are
born prematurely and need to be set on breathing tubes, which give the children another way of
breathing before they are able to do it on their own. If not for this invention, many couples would
not get the chance to experience the feeling of having their very own child. We would not have
any way of providing the resources that would allow these children to survive, if it were not for
technology.
In fact, Richard Selzer shows us the harsh realities that exist in a surgical room in his
essay, “Sarcophagus.” Unfortunately, he experiences a tragic situation, where all of his efforts
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could not save the life of one of his patients. But at least there was some chance of the patient
surviving because of our technological resources; if we did not have technology, then he would
not have any hope at all. However, even though we have the proper technology around us to do
many things, it is up to us to find the proper time to use them.
Surprisingly, there are many people who say that technology has done more harm than
good, because of the use of inventions such as the atomic bomb, such as viewed by Terry
Tempest Williams in “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” (598); but I say that it is not
technology that has done us harm, instead, we have used technology as a harmful way to hurt
one another. Also, through, technology, atomic energy plants were first created to preserve more
energy within the world; it was not created to harm others. It is not technology that has brought
harm to people; but it is humans who have not taken precautions to avoid a harmful twist on
technological world to do harm. Therefore, humans have to take responsibility for their own
actions. Technology has simply become a better way for us to advance with the times that we are
living in; the information age. Everyone has gone through some type of technological procedure
that has benefited them in some sort of way; whether it is an immunization shot or some kind or
surgical procedure. Therefore, everyone should realize that without the evolution of technology,
humankind would be lost as a culture.
Finally, many people can choose whether to view technology as a friend or foe of society.
I choose to view it as a friend, because I recognize the difference that it has made in my life; and
if it were not for the different inventions that have come out of technology, many of us would not
be here today. How has technology made a difference in your life? Maybe you should think
about that question before taking your own decision on this subject.
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Works Cited
Gould, Stephen Jay. “The Terrifying Normalcy of AIDS.” The McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed. Ed.
Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 594-597
Selzer, Richard. “Sarcophagus.” McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Thomas, Lewis. “The Technology of Medicine.” McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed. Ed. Gilbert H.
Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Williams, Terry Tempest. “The Clan of One-Breasted Women.” McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed.
Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 598-607