Technology: Cost vs Benefit Analysis - Essay Sample

Introduction

Technology has brought a comparative advantage in the lives of people, but its use has been characterized by a negative effect. Suzuki (p182) argued that 'technological innovations have had detrimental side effects that have surpassed their benefits.' The author perceived that it was important that people had some form of cost and benefit analysis on a technological idea to access whether it would have more or fewer dangers. The results of such a research would enable people to make informed decisions. However, assessments performed by researchers are always limited by time and resources. The assessment procedures are also affected by different factors, with the main one being synergistic. Results are also affected as organizations take a conservative side, reducing the reliability of outcomes (Suzuki 182). It is common for researchers to be affected by unexpected fluctuations of conditions as they study an area of interest, which affects the expected results.

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Scientific knowledge is used by medical doctors to test the performance of drugs before they are approved and allowed to be used by human beings. However, their negative effects are still evident in users who depend on them for treatment purposes. Human beings depend on technology since it simplifies their lives and improves the way of doing things. Suzuki (183) stated that ‘tests done on technology fail to produce real results since scope, size, and time factors limit them.’ This means that human beings cannot escape the negative effects of technology and science. It is almost impossible to test for something which we have no current knowledge about. This might be the reason why during tests or researches, scientists find little or no knowledge about technology that would be used to make major decisions about accepting or rejecting an idea. For instance, one of the renowned cases that have taken part in the world is that of the thalidomide oral contraceptive that Puerto Rico women took for years despite the drug being considered safe. Millions of women felt the negative effect on their skins as discovered by dermatologists.

People should build their judgments by being more cautious and avoiding things that add little or no value to their lives. Human beings are always searching for new information, but they have to understand their quest for more data hooks them to the desire for additional material. For instance, once a technological solution is introduced to people, they become hooked to such and it becomes almost impossible to survive without such. The insatiable search for knowledge by persons should probably end as the more information they seek to find, the more destruction they face in the long-term. This is because they do not fully exhaust looking for all information that might give them the knowledge to make informed decisions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, every technological information and discovery that currently exists on the planet has had negative effects on humans’. These are the people who willingly go searching for information that will transform their lives. Humans understand that their lives are negatively affected, but they continue researching for alternative technological solutions. Humans are aware that despite the tests done prior to a technological idea being released; the negative effects cannot be anticipated as they surpass the expectations. Technology is a necessity in modern-day, but it is also a disadvantage to society.

Works Cited

Suzuki, David. A David Suzuki collection: A lifetime of ideas. Allen & Unwin, 2003.