Idea of progress: can we say the progress is a good thing for humanity?

Idea of progress

The idea of progress basically consists in believing that the world can become better in terms of art, science, technology, liberty and quality of life. Progress in some areas such as social, political or scientific is necessary for good development of a nation. Innovation seems a key factor of the twentyfirst century. But can we say the progress is a good thing for humanity ?

First of all, I will explain you the good things the progress can brings us.

Then I will finish by developing the danger of the innovation. During all my presentation, artificial intelligence will be taken as example.

THE PROGRESS, A GOOD THING FOR HUMANITY.

First of all, I think progress is essential to evolve. Scientific progress are necessary and there are amazing advances. In medicine with surgery, genetic manipulation, medical research. The life expectancy had advance because of treatments. We can treat diseases that were incurables. For example, Stephen Hawking is a Cambridge Physics Professor and He’s one of the most impressive minds of our time. Severely affected by motor-neuron disease, he’s totally paralysed. But with scientific advances, he can speak only through an Artificial Intelligence powered device activated by his eyes movements. Despite his handicap, Stephen Hawking can express himself. This progress can helping people with their daily life. Thanks to progress and research, in the future, we will be able to find treatments against cancer or hiv. Thanks to medical advance, many diseases can now be cured.

Moreover, there are some advances in new technology like with smartphones with Siri we can ask it questions and it answer. Theses are things that make our life better and almost a like bit easier.

BUT CAN BE A DANGER

In fact, some population find the progress as a danger. For exemple, the Amish live like in the seventeenth century. I went on a travel in the United States, we were able to go that way Pennsylvania and we saw some Amish. They living in a simple way and away from the modern world. They are afraid of living with the new technologies and advances. For them, it is harmful.

However, medical follies like cloning can be dangerous. We can see that with extract of the movie « Ex-Machina ». Eva is a robot but she becomes human, she looks like a human being but she isn’t human. In the extract, the engineer is impressed by the robot. She knowns many things about him. Ava becomes manipulatrice with the engineer, she repeats what he says, she uses his own answers against him. She becomes manipulatrice particularly when she asks him if he wants to be her fiend, she turns the situation to her advantage. Ava is a robot, she is really intelligent so does she have feelings ? She manipulates him into believing that she has feelings. The progress can be a danger because with robot there are some risk like explosion…

Finally, in armament, the creation of weapons will include more destruction like in the movie « Terminator 2 : Opening scene ». It’s a war between humans and robots. It’s a vision of the future, it’s the end of the world. At the begging, the robot is crushing humans skills. A woman’s voice

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