RESOLUTION

We are in the midst of a technological revolution. Amazing new technologies are being developed that affect our ways of living and the essence of our very being: from instant global communication to creation of test tube baby. Many new technologies are being developed and implemented quietly, with little public debate. However, a rather simple question keeps on haunting. What are the positive impacts of these new technological developments on society at large? We are all aware that teeming millions of people across the globe are still struggling to earn one square meal a day. Increasing poverty, malnutrition, unemployment, continuing violence are issues that concern majority of the human population. In addition the environmental problems and global warming coupled with energy crisis threatens the existence of the entire civilization. How far has modern technologies gone to provide a real answer to these impending problems?

Needless to say that there is no simple answer to this question. One has to explore the complex terrain of frontier technologies, their interconnections with society and environment and develop a holistic approach to address this apparently straight forward problem. Let us keep aside the more complicated issues of ethical implications, cultural impacts of state-of-art technologies on different communities. The focus is to look into those aspects that have or potentially can have a direct bearing on the livelihood of common man.

Who would deny that all advances in science and technology should ultimately benefit mankind? Yet it would be difficult to establish how all progresses in science and technology have a direct bearing on society. As an example one may ask what relevance an exploration to Mars has on solving societal problems. Yes, there is no straight forward answer. Seldom in history has science and technology progressed in a fashion that necessarily mapped a linear connection of scientific inventions with solutions of immediate societal problems. But on the other hand, it would be wrong to deny that a particular stage of development of society has commanded advances in science and technology. The formulation of calculus by two different stalwarts completely unconnected and unaware of each others existence at the same point in history; the foundations of non-euclidean geometry by Lobachevsky, Bolyai, Gauss, Poincaire and Riemann almost at the same historical juncture that addressed the three thousand year old problem of mathematics, and many such examples substantiate that time is the greatest inventor; and inventions find their outlets through great personalities.

Here one might stop to ask: what about technology? Isn’t technological inventions geared to meet the immediate needs of society? Starting from the historical discovery of wheel, steam engine to today’s fascinating ICs, one would definitely agree that such discoveries have irreversibly changed the way of human existence but at the same time it must be appreciated that all these discoveries were products of time as well. If history beckons, society responds.

However, today we stand at a peculiar historical juncture in the sense that the environmental problems threaten the very existence of mankind. Moreover the economic institutions do not fit the technological developments. If the ulterior motive of profit is the sole factor determining what technology should be encouraged and how the human resource should be guided then inevitably that will lead towards a social destruction. There seems to be an apparent paradox. On one hand, we are equipped with cutting edge technologies that can produce sufficiently for the entire humankind, provide means for global communication, lay the foundations for a society where production will not be associated with vitiating the environment, while on the other none of these potential technologies are taking shape in reality since most of them entail huge expenditure and will not harness ‘profit’. As a simple example we may consider fuel cell based vehicles or solar cell based energy for iron and steel making that can put an end to vehicular pollution and huge fossil fuel demand for steel making. Yet they are not considered as alternatives because of the huge cost involved. Who would think of the ‘cost’ for polluting the environment and making this planet untenable for survival of life? As long as this market driven economy continues, technological advances will suffocate and keep ringing the alarm.

However, it is difficult to say how history will speak for itself, how the Newton’s and James Watt’s of tomorrow are being groomed. Let this 21st AGM of FOSET resolve that we should keep ourselves equipped and engage in the continuous quest for alternative in which frontier technology will serve society as a whole and the society in turn will create path for newer innovations.