Technology vs. Morality

Reflective Writing 1

Introduction to Humanities

HUMN 100

May 16, 2015

Technology and morality makeup a large part of today’s modern society. At what point, should technological advances be confined by customary morality? The question seems a little complicated and the scales may be tipped in either direction. To base the advancement of a society around cultural standards may limit the development of a set people or nation. Let us venture to visualize the Amish, uncivilized tribes of the world, and Jehovah’s Witnesses and their belief in sticking to a close set of standards based upon their religious traditions. In contrast, let us view some of the innovations made by inventors like Michael Faraday, Cai Lun, and Dr. James Blundell. Technology is beneficial and detrimental to society and works as if it were a double-edged sword.
Consider the Amish, they live without many of the modern conveniences of the world by choice. They chose this lifestyle because of their belief that most modern technologies are nothing more than a distraction away from their religious practices. According to author Linda Egenes’s book, Visiting with the Amish, “From an early age, the Amish learn to follow the Ordnung, a strict body of rules that govern behavior, dress, and attitude. In order to shun “the ways of the world,” the Amish reject modern technology (such as cars, telephones, television, and electricity) and dress in a way that sets them apart” (Egenes XV). Living without such technology has to become hard at times. Picture snow on the ground, wet logs, and no electricity during a bone chilling winter. Think about how hard it may be for a mother to feed her family without a way of cooking food, or a father struggling to keep his family warm. However, due to cultural preferences this is the lifestyle of all Amish people in America. There are hundreds of indigenous tribes of the world even as of today. However, many of these tribes choose to remain disconnected from the rest of the world. In a journal article written by James Penn, “One tribe for example, the Flecherios are a tribe with such a nature that they are known for targeting intruders with poison arrows” (Penn). Upon their arrival into the Brazilian rainforest, these explorers encountered warning signs, traps, and ultimately a close encounter with the Flecherios, which could have proved fatal. Tribes such as the Flecherios live amongst the trees of the rainforest. They depend on the trees and natural environment for their livelihood. There are many tribes who have no knowledge or use for modern technology. Their reasoning is often unknown to the greater population of the world; however, the ideals and cultures of these groups have to be respected. On one hand, societies can help each other advance with new ideals and aide in gaining technologies. However, as with introducing foreign animals to the wilderness of a totally different ecosystem, the intermingling of societies could have grave potential as well. Generally speaking, there are over eight million Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a prime example of such societies who place morality above technology. So who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? They are a religious offspring of mainstream Christianity. However, unlike most Christian societies, there are some conservative beliefs of this religious group differ from almost all of the rest. One may even see them as being primitive in nature. The belief of dismissing blood transfusions, stem from the Jehovah’s Witness interpretation on the teachings of the Christian Bible. In accordance with interpretations of the Bible from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Both the Old and New Testaments clearly command us to abstain from blood. (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23; Acts 15:28, 29) Also, God views blood as representing life. (Leviticus 17:14) So we avoid taking blood not only in obedience to God but also out of respect for him as the Giver of life” (Watchtower). In their society, religious morality controls or restricts the use of certain technology. This is a way of life for them, but they have more recently become open to alternatives such as blood conservation. Just to be brief, the act of blood conservation is nothing more than paying ahead your own blood, so that you may have it back later when it is needed. For instance, a person who has a prescheduled surgery may request to begin giving blood in the months before the surgery. As a result, the blood that is already being held in storage is there to replace potential blood lost by the patient. Religion seems to be the main charge behind how certain cultures view technological advances. Now let us take a look at electrochemist Michael Faraday, the man of which even the farad is named after. He believed in pushing the envelope and not letting cultural traditions dictate his drive for further advancement in scientific knowledge. According to a biography writing of Mr. Faraday, “He was the first to produce an electric current from a magnetic field, invented the first electric motor and dynamo, demonstrated the relation between electricity and chemical bonding, discovered the effect of magnetism on light, and discovered and named diamagnetism, the peculiar behavior of certain substances in strong magnetic fields. He provided the experimental, and a good deal of the theoretical, foundation upon which James Clerk Maxwell erected classical electromagnetic field theory” (L. Pierce). This would have not sit well with the Amish, who believe that electrical advances detracted from religion. Jehovah’s Witness see Faraday as being blasphemous for making such discoveries in his use of human blood. Amongst hidden civilizations, discoveries made by individuals like Cai Lun are shunned and detested. In the year 105, Cai Lun was recognized for discovering common paper. It was stated in Great Inventions that Changed the World, “Cai Lun initiated the idea of making paper from the bark of trees, remnants of hemp, rags of cloth, and fishing nets” (Wei 242). Since the discovery of paper, it has only been improved upon, but never excluded from modern day societies. Paper is utilized in every sense of the word. However, the use of paper means the destruction of trees, i.e. rainforests, the jungles where many uncivilized tribes reside. As explained earlier, tribes such as the Flecherios dislike intruders and if someone were tearing down the average person’s home, they would be pretty upset as well. From the perspective of un-contacted civilizations, the use of rainforest trees for paper is destroying their world. So from a moral aspect, the invention of paper is leading to the extinction of certain ancient tribes still remaining in the world. In the early 1800s, a doctor by the name of James Blundell achieved the first successful blood transfusion of blood between two living animals. When referring to Invasion of the Body: Revolutions in Surgery, Blundell “showed that dogs could survive transfusions from other dogs but not from sheep. He then administered blood from human donors to several young women dying of hemorrhage following delivery” (Blundell 110). If you remember earlier, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that this is morally wrong in the sense of transferring blood between two different beings. Amongst Jehovah’s Witnesses, Blundell is seen as a heathen and sinner against their belief system. Blood transfusions also have the potential of spreading dangerous blood borne pathogens to a group of people, possibly even to the world. Blood transfusions also create a means of saving lives and as with every great invention, they all come a potential risk. In closing, it has been discussed the crossroads that are often crossed when mixing morality with technology. Technological innovations at some point become a convenience made by choice with a wide span of pros and cons. It is in the belief of the author that there is no real answer to the question of should technology be restricted by moral beliefs, but it is more so of people’s preferences based on the multiple cultures of which they choose to live. With each religious or cultural group, comes a different set of rules for its society to abide by and each one comes with its own system of morality. So possibly the best desire of the world might be better off in having the hope for the use of caution as inventions are made.

Works Cited
Egenes, Linda. Visits with the Amish: Impressions of the Plain Life. Iowa City, IA, USA: University of Iowa Press, 2009. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 17 May 2015. Web.

Dyson, Laurel Evelyn, Max A. N. Hendriks, and Stephen Grant. Information Technology and Indigenous People. Hershey, PA: Information Science Pub. (an Imprint of Idea Group), 2007. Print.

L. Pearce, Williams. "Faraday, Michael." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 18 May 2015.

Penn, James W. "The Unconquered: In Search of the Amazon’s Last Uncontacted Tribes (review)." Journal of Latin American Geography 11.1 (2012): 188-90. Web.

Tilney, Nicholas L.. Invasion of the Body : Revolutions in Surgery. Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press, 2011. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 18 May 2015.

Watchtower. "Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Blood Transfusions?" JW.ORG. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 2015. Web. 17 May 2015. Web. .

Wei, James. Great Inventions that Changed the World. New York, NY, USA: American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 18 May 2015.