Technology and Its Influences on Humanity

Does technology influence our humanity?

As technology becomes a bigger part of our every day life, more people are questioning it's influences on our humanity. There are many factors to consider when looking at this question, beginning with, “who is affecting whom?” Are we changing our technology to fit our ideas on humanity, or is our humanity changing the way we influence technology? We also need to look at the meaning of the words technology and humanity to understand the question fully. Yes, technology has a huge influence on our humanity as it is such a major part of our every day lives and has become part of the evolution of human nature, it modifies human qualities, while at the same time, humanity is influencing technology as the development and expansion of technology is created by humans.
To start to understand this question we should look at the words and their meanings. Definition of humanity the quality or condition of being human, human nature. Human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting. Human nature is what gives us a moral sense, provides us with the social skills to live in society. The qualities of humanity include the abilities to feel, create and love however, it also includes qualities which are not necessarily appreciated such as suffering, aging, and being imperfect. All of these natural human qualities form unique individuals which make up the fascinating diversity of human nature.

Next lets look at the word technology: how people modify the natural world to suit their own purposes... generally it refers to the diverse collection of processes and knowledge that people use to extend human abilities and to satisfy human needs and wants. Genetics, robotics, information technology and Nano processes – which modify and transform humans and human nature are some examples of recent advancements in the technology field. These technological innovations are adding up to a world profoundly different from the one humans are accustomed to living in.
Humans greatly benefit from these technological innovations as almost all technology is created in order to make life easier and more enjoyable. Although technology is making life easier and helping human desires to become reality, in the long run, it will change the course of humanity. Technology which accomplishes work much faster, easier and simpler than humans is increasing, hence, may result in the future where humans are not needed. Although technology has many benefits for humans, the rapid developments of technology could be said to be influencing the concept of humanity.
However, this exponential innovation can be considered as a part of humanity. It is true that humans are the ones who have created these innovations, hence is it correct in considering technological innovations to be part of humanity or diverged from humanity? Here is a logical explanation of the fact that humanity is influencing technology.
Technology comes about only because of the human, thinking, rational mind. The human mind is the essence and core of our humanity. Without the human mind, there are no life-saving comforts that we can take for granted. Without these life-saving comforts, all of civilization as we know it would collapse…. without humanity, there is no technology.
The development of technology is humans extending their own horizons and hence, technology can be said to be influenced by humanity or to be part of the nature of the human species.
Technology is rapidly increasing as it benefits and fulfills what people want in life. However, technology is likely to influence and affect humanity in negative ways such as altering the nature of humanity which can lead to issues concerning morals. Yet at the same time, technology can be considered as a part of the nature of human evolution or an influence of human nature. However, the importance of keeping humane qualities should not be influenced, forgotten or taken over by technology.
When we consider how older generations had very little if any technology (in the same form that we now consider technology) compared to present day advancements, it would seem important to compare those from older generations with those from present generations.
These advancements in technology really began to boom after the first world war, due to every changing requirements to make warfare more advanced than other countries. These very quick advancements are still the basis for a lot of today's technology.
Through exploring this question, it can be understood that although technology can have negative effects on humanity, it is almost impossible to eradicate the developments of technology as it is part of the evolution of human nature. Hence, humans must aim to live with technology to create meaningful value for all humanity.
On the flip side, there are a lot of technology advances that have made our health and well being more advanced, we are now living longer and are more aware of any possible health complications. As well as having more capable and complicated machines to do many different things, such as diagnosing and treating the sick.
However, even though technology can be considered as part of humanity, it should not be taken for granted as it is more important to preserve the qualities which make people human. It is somehow necessary to our self-understanding of what we are as human beings… you can’t have courage without risk… real compassion or sympathy without the personal experience of pain. Therefore, it is necessary that technology allows us to more fully express our humanity, instead of overwhelming it. Thus, what is important is what humans do with the technology which has great influence on humanity. Hence, technology should be used and created while preserving humanity.