Issue Practice 13

Issue: The primary goal of technological advancement should be to increase people’s efficiency so that everyone has more leisure time.

With the highly speedy development of science and technology including the inventions of television sets, computers, mobile phones, etc, the pace of human beings’ everyday life has become faster and faster. However, what is the primary goal of technological advancement? Is it just for gaining people more leisure time?

The technology advancement is aimed at bringing people convenience. Direct technological use of communication and transport demonstrate that the convenience in human’s everyday life could hardly come into existence without the utilization of technology. The long distance between the Oriental and the Occidental which cost 2 months or more in the old days not takes only 3 or 4 hours simply by plane which can fly you over the sky. Our ancient, who might never get to meet each other without a contact by a post mail at least one week ahead of schedule, will be stricken dumb with astonishment on seeing us getting touch with each other, chatting with each other over cell phones and even talking while watching each other over the internet. To decide when to hold a meeting just seems to be such a simple case that we do not have to trouble to prepare any letters or envelopes.

The technology advancement makes great contribution to promoting people’s efficiency. The assembly line developed by Ford proves one of the most significant primary purposes of technological advancement: to promote people’s efficiency. It soon spread quickly and came into utilization in all types of industrial production. From then on, the time that people spent to think and order things made-to-measure was cut off to a large extend. Moreover, it can not be more normal that one just decide what to wear by strolling around the stores and deciding which to buy.

Is leaving people more leisure time a primary goal of technological advancement? I am afraid no, or at least, it is not a primary one. It is true that on the one hand, theoretically, since the efficiency of production is promoted, taking less time on making products of the same amount, people seem to have more chances to get free time. However, on the other hand, the amount of products requested to make gets larger, people get more meetings to hold since it is easier to make contact with others and save the time to concentrate on the work, time appears to be precious than ever since the pace of all humans are getting quicker. To achieve making people have more leisure time at most is a subordinate purpose and as a matter of fact seems to be of great difficulty to realize in the modern time.

In conclusion, the primary goal of technological advancement should be achieving convenience or efficiency but hardly be to let people gain more free time.

(486 words)