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According to an old Greek tale, Prometheus is the god who gives humanity fire in order to liberate them from the harsh realities of the natural world. This deed symbolizes the notion that technological reason can free humanity from the constraints of nature. However, when people strive to understand technology, they sometimes start to believe that there are no boundaries to what they may achieve. The Tower of Babel presentation by Dr. Snobelen, which investigates the myth of the Tower of Babel and its ramifications for contemporary technological culture, is a good example of this concept. The lecture by Dr. Snobelen will serve as the primary source for this essays analysis of the connection between technical reason and the desire to push past all boundaries. The urge to overcome all barriers can result in a hubristic belief in ones power to dominate nature, which ultimately leads to catastrophe. The Tower of Babel represents the idea that there should be concerns and limitation that are taken into consideration of the society that progresses in the technology development.
The Tower of Babel legend serves as a stern warning against arrogance and excessive faith in human potential. A tower-building endeavor to reach the heavens by the inhabitants of Babel is depicted in the tale as an insult to the heavenly order. The gods punish them by confusing their language, preventing communication and compelling the populace to give up on their endeavor. The old myth of a tower that was constructed to reach the skies is examined in Dr. Snobelens presentation on the Tower of Babel. The myth serves as a warning against human arrogance, which thought it was possible to overcome all restrictions and enter the holy realm (Winner, 2019). According to Dr. Snobelen (2018), this myth is still relevant for contemporary society, particularly in the area of technology. He contends that the ambition to construct ever-higher buildings symbolizes humankinds yearning to overcome all constraints and its conviction that technology can do this.
This motivation stems from the notion of technological reason, or the conviction that technology and reason can defeat any challenges (Roberts, 2014, p. 65). Since the time of the ancient Greeks, who thought that technical reason might free humanity from the existing realities of nature, this idea has been around. Dr. Snobelen contends that this idea has also given rise to a hubristic ambition to control nature, which has had unfavorable effects on the environment and other areas.
Dr. Snobelens presentation includes the idea that the quest of technical advancement can have unexpected repercussions as one of its key themes. He uses the effects of human attempts to manipulate nature, such as climate change and nuclear weapons, as examples. It is foolish and ultimately disastrous to think that humans can entirely control nature due to the urge to push past all boundaries (Harari, 2018). According to Dr. Snobelen (2018), a more modest view of technology is required, one that acknowledges the limitations of human knowledge and the necessity of respecting the natural world. Roberts (2014, p. 13) also notes how receiving knowledge from the future is a mixed gift . The narrative of the Tower of Babel, which forewarns against the hubris of thinking that mankind may reach the skies, reflects this principle. Dr. Snobelen suggests that this myth has relevance for modern society, particularly in the realm of technology.
There are many different facets to the interaction between technical reason and the desire to go past all boundaries. Technical reason has the power to free people from the immediate realities of nature, but it may also foster the illusion that people have perfect control over it, which eventually results in disaster. This hubristic mindset is cautioned against in Dr. Snobelens presentation on the Tower of Babel, which also makes the case for a more modest approach to technology. As it stands for narrative of the Prometheus, there are different aspects that can be reviewed upon the liberation of the mankind throughout the technology, such as the threat imposed to the nature.
The Tower of Babel shows that the development and creation of technology can be both advantageous and harmful for the humanity. It is critical to keep in mind historical lessons and prospective outcomes as we continue to create new technology. However, the combination of technological reason and the urge to transcend all limitations affects more than just technology. It also has an impact on societys social and ethical dimensions. Moreover, the drive to push past all limitations can result in a disdain for the environment and the long-term effects of its exploitation. For example, human efforts to take more resources and push past natural boundaries have led to the effects of climate change. In order to properly balance technological reason with social, ethical, and environmental considerations, a more comprehensive approach to technology is needed. This entails not just creating effective and safe technologies, but also taking into account the social and environmental effects of those technologies.
References
Harari, Y. N. (2018). 21 lessons for the 21st century. Spiegel & Grau.
Roberts, D. H. (2014). Prometheus bound. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Snobelen, S. D. (2018, May 30). The Tower of Babel: A cautionary tale about the limits of human ambition. Lecture presented at the University of Kings College, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Winner, L. (2019). The smart city as urban dystopia. City, 23(1), 6-27. Web.
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