Science and tech. These 2 go hand in hand and a lot of people take them for granted. We are deeply depending on devices and infrastructures but most of the people don't realize how deep the relation is. A simple whatsapp message from your phone to another is happening by millions of transistors and taking a worldwide tour and presented in a device with a different infrastructure. A simple phone call is based on centuries of scientific research and experiment. The medical devices or drugs that save your life are also not coincidental. You are driving a car or flying a plane from somewhere to somewhere and it has hundreds of engineers' work behind it. You should be thankful to inventors and appreciate how much is going on behind the scenes. This doesn't mean you are lazy and you should be ready to drop all the technology in your life in a snap of a finger. But sometimes, attaining the skills that we outsource to technology is a good thing too. You decide the balance there. Regardless, we need to preserve technology for ourselves because it has almost became irreplaceable. Let’s take a look at both of science and tech.
Science is like a mindset. It is not about disregarding god, unlike some provocateurs say. It is about making sense of what you have, not in a philosophical sense, but in actual physical sense. There can be limits to science and it doesn't mean science is failing. I think it only means there is a strong evidence of something that we don't understand or will never understand. So again, there are provocateurs who would claim that science is devil's job or something, but you observe them going into an MRI machine instead of banging their head against the wall to treat their brain. I really like science. It is about bringing the new angles to see which one thrives. It is about wondering and letting the assumptions go. It is about proposing experiments and being excited about them.
200 years after the industrial revolution started, we should have been prospering. We have opportunities and possibilities but we also have a huge gap. Innovations are happening, discoveries are being made, but being able to acquire things is also getting harder and harder. More technology must mean more accessibility and more production for everyone, but we see the opposite. This is mostly due to profit maximization because that mindset is blind and it makes you forget the first thing about providing a product, which is making it available for everyone. This also stagnates the real developments and blocks the possible innovators. I would say, rich people shouldn't decide the which developments will thrive because they only look for guaranteed return and monopolization, instead of greater good.
What we mean by technology is 99% based on science. You can't guess or assume or hypothesize your way into development. Development requires real and tangible ground. Today people think technology is just a means for profit. They don’t realize they actually rely on technology. They turn it into investment and therefore, making it unavailable due to overpricing. Also, due to ignorance, some people think it “just happens” and don’t realize how much effort goes into it, or what does it cost to have or use technology. It is not a toy or investment or a means to monopolization. It is the foundation of todays societies.
Some people think all the innovations on technology are linear or hyperbolic. They assume if the development is started, it will continue with the same momentum or get faster by time. Examples like AI or Quantum Computing, some start fast but grow slower since real world has limits. So when you try to be a futurist, you should try to ground your vision on real data and projection, not dreams or speculations. Also, some futurists are just selling products in the capitalist system under their idealist cloak.
Both science and technology are my passions. My job is literally built on tech. If there were no computers, I could never be a computer engineer. I also have extensive knowledge about advanced physics, though mostly theoretical and not much mathematical. If you want to go deeper on something, you have to be curious and multi-angled. But remember, science is not only about physics or biology or chemistry. There are also soft scientific areas like psychology, sociology, economics ...etc. You sometimes try and fail and find the optimal. You sometimes don't have the opportunity to try and formulate things beforehand. Sometimes you gather the previous development and add a new twist or perspective. It is all about willing to improve on what you have or what you know.
We need a world where ignorant people understands that science and technology is what keeping you alive. You may argue that too much science and resulting opportunities made the world overpopulated and we were never meant to live and repopulate this much. But I think humans are given a powerful brain to actually manage these situations. We were meant to build things and improve them and our comfort. We were meant to discover god through our discoveries on earth and in space. But we are not meant to live on another planet, whatever we do, we need to make it here. We need science to solve the problems now in the year of 2026. But before that, we need to educate people that science and technology is needed and required and is a must, not an option.
I love technology but I also know too much technology can diminish or destroy human values. Sometimes just visiting your friend is better than a phone call. Sometimes asking for directions in a neighborhood can get you new friends. Sometimes writing a letter can feel more inclusive and stimulating and direct. Sometimes even sending an old school postcard can feel more engaging than posting on Instagram. Sometimes going shopping, instead of ordering online, and smelling the fruit or vegetables can refresh you. Sometimes you just walk or run or admire the scenery without the interruption of your smart watch. You can ask yourself "what if the technology that I am using right now didn't exist?". You don't have to give up on technology. You just have to keep it under control because otherwise, it will keep you under control.
If you look at AI friendships and robotic ideas these days, you will see technology is starting to control you. Algorithms on social media and linkedin and various places are already shaping your habits and behaviors. Just because something new is cool and shiny doesn't automatically mean it is useful and beneficial. As I said, rich people are controlling technology these days and it is aimed to make you more dependent on it.
Also, one of the most stupidest habits of humanity these days is the war tech. The arms race is the despicable face of humans. The bigger guns they have, the more secure they assume they are. But in return, they push the others to develop new death machines and ultimately the world becomes less secure. This ridiculous dilemma is the reality after world war 2. Also, we have spying technology these days, which is related to the understanding of "national security". But just like war tech, it is being used by governments to put pressure on their own people or other nations. So we can say the technology is being used for dirty agendas but that doesn't mean technology itself is bad.
Both science and technology are dangerous in the hands of destructors. This is the same when you forge a knife to cut bread but people use it to harm others. The survival of humankind mostly depends on some improvements to protect against nature. After that, you will need to produce more to supply for more and fair sharing of goods. Then you will realize you need tools to manage your society too. So your survival will start depending on technological infrastructure and ultimately science, soft or applied. That is something you can’t downgrade. Collaborate and innovate... Otherwise you will have to reinvent human history. See you at the next post :)
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