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Ranjith Anishetty

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Invention is the cause of disasters

Man invented many things, but unfortunately these inventions are creating problem for human survival. For example depletion of ozone layer is because of pollution and effluents like CFC. In the similar way pollution from vehicles. Now the problem is with whom? is it due to over usage of technology or due to man invention?
Invention and technology doesn't mean that highly engineered techniques, it can be a simple plastic which is harming population and also it may be a small cell phone which is now effecting human brains due to radiation. I am not saying that we should not have technologies, but what is the limit and how we are misusing it.

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    Roy Bourque 20+

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    Dec 1 2012: Some of human invention and technologies may be threatening mankind. Without them, mankind would be threatening mankind. In areas where technology is lacking, the mortality rate is much higher. Which is the greater evil?

    Long before mankind, there were natural disasters much more severe than what mankind has done. What seems to have done in the dinosaurs would be equivalent to all out nuclear war. We know that nearly half of the North American continent was once covered in ice (imagine that happening today). We also know that the planet was once warmer than it is now. If global warming is threatening the planet, why was it flourishing in previous periods?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature_record
    Take a look at the long term ice core record and the geological evidence of past temperature changes.
    A major problem with global warming is that it threatens coastal regions with flooding where a large part of our infrastructure is built. If we take steps to stop global warming, we take steps that restrict us in other ways so we make compromises and hope that new technologies will produce solutions that we can live with.

    There are some technologies which may cause environmental damage, but often we don't know until we try. With time, data is recorded and analyzed and alternative processes result.

    We have Landsat satellites that monitor the health of planet earth. It's all integrated. When a technology is found to be harmful, we seek ways to deal with it.

    The last line of your debate is far beyond a TED debate. You are debating a global balance against mother nature with a widespread of technologies too numerous to mention. We have been asking that question for decades, and will continue to ask for decades to come. If you are that concerned, pick an issue and devote some research into it. More data will always be needed and is the only way to a solution.

  • Max Baggerman

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    Nov 22 2012: You really have to rethink your question.

    You can't say pollution is caused due to over usage of technology or due to man invention, because the technology is made by human invention. So you can’t pick one. You can however, state that the usage of technology is creating pollution, which affects the ozone layer.

    Also, name the disasters that happened due to technology/ inventions. That’s right, no real disaster, to our knowledge, has happened yet due to our technologies/ inventions.
    So the same technologies are trying to prevent these (upcoming) disasters. So inventions are made to prevent these upcoming disasters and hopefully discover new potential disasters.
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      Ranjith Anishetty

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      Nov 30 2012: Yes sir I agree with your suggestions, I cannot say it as disaster, but its creating harm to human mankind. Yes there are technologies to prevent disasters. My question is continuous usage of technology is creating some harm to man. Suppose, man has invented cellphones to communicate, but no one bothers about the radiation which is effecting them. Like wise there are many drawbacks on which I am focusing

  • Mikey Lee

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    Nov 21 2012: Ridiculous argument.

    Are suggesting that we would have been better off in a world without innovation/technology, as cavemen without fire, electricity, wheel, etc?

    Would our world be without disaster?
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    Gail . 50+

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    Nov 21 2012: The problems are caused by $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

    • Mikey Lee

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      Nov 21 2012: mo' money mo' problems

    • Comment deleted

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        Gail . 50+

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        Nov 22 2012: Mr. Baggerman: It is time for you to read the terms of service. Your comment was inappropriate.
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        Grace Greene 10+

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        Nov 22 2012: Max, I think that TED Lover added significantly to the debate. If you are unable to understand, that's OK, but please don't project your own inadequacies on others. It's abusive, and abuse is always counter-productive.

        • Max Baggerman

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          Nov 22 2012: Grace, as you can see, my comment has been removed according to the terms of use.
          Anyway, after reading these terms of use, I noticed rule 4, stating that they will remove:

          • disrespectful, distasteful, unconstructive, or illegal content.

          I must admit that I was a little annoyed by this comment and that you could notice that through my comment. So it was probably removed because it was disrespectful.

          The reason why I got annoyed probably has something to do with the unconstructive comment by TED Lover. If he thinks the problem is money, then please explain why. According to the terms of use, his comment is just as inappropriate.

          I’m really curious why you think TED Lover’s comment is adding something significant. What I didn’t understand. And what my inadequacies are.
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    W. Ying 10+

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    Nov 21 2012: Yes!

    “Invention is the cause of disasters”!

    Human very slow evolution can never catch up the rate of today’s invention.

    Human can not adapt to the fast invention without health disasters and will be extinguished by their own self-made invention if the invention can not be controlled.

    Invention gives us mostly INVALID happiness!
    So, be very careful!


    (For INVALID HAPPINESS, see the 1st article, points 1.1-3, at https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D&id=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D%21283&sc=documents)
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    Xavier Belvemont 30+

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    Nov 21 2012: I'll throw a new card into the game and argue that the cause of disasters is through the LACK of technological invention.

    There are plenty of examples of damaging technology (such as Car pollution, fossil fuels, plastics..) but we maintain it because we don't adapt at a rate necessary to remove the negative impacts that the current technology turns out to be providing.
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    Lawren Jones 10+

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    Nov 21 2012: Invention is the cause of longer, healthier, safer, more fulfilling and productive lives. There have always been trade-offs and challenges along the way, which we continue to meet and to solve. Would you rather have us back in the jungle foraging for nuts and roots?
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      Ranjith Anishetty

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      Nov 30 2012: I would like to say that, "technology is the reason" doesn't mean that again we have to go back to jungle. Starting from the time we woke up till we go back to sleep at least man gets in contact with plastic. Here technology doesn't mean highly engineered techniques, it can be a simple invention which is made of plastic . As a consequence now plastic is causing much problem and in most of the countries plastic is banned.

  • Entropy Driven

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    Nov 21 2012: Nope. Invention is not the problem The problem is human stupidity. The thought, the feeling, that because we have it we have to use it until it's depleted. Whatever it is: cars, fossil fuels, et cetera.

    • Max Baggerman

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      Nov 22 2012: Invention is the problem and the solution. It's only a recent discovery that our product/ inventions cause environmental problems. First of all, this discovery and awareness is only due to our own inventions. It's not that we are ignoring this problem, a lot of innovations and researches are done this day to try and solve it.
      You also have to consider a lot of diplomatic and economic problems occur with these problems. Also slowing this progress.

      Ask yourself, how much are you contributing to change this world? You are not a victim of any system, you are the system.
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    Feyisayo Anjorin 50+

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    Nov 20 2012: There has always been things that threaten humanity's survival and well being. Earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, storms, tsunamis, diseases/plagues, wild animals......survival has never been easy.
    Maybe certain threats gave way for others as science and technology opened the doors of invention (now we've got oil spills, radioactive waste, atomic bombs, the threat of nuclear warheads falling into the hands of terrorists and so on).

    I dont think there is any problem; we are not meant to live in a problem-free world, or if we think we are, then it is funny that the much hyped science and technology solves a few problems and creates a dozen others.

    We are meant to be busy solving problems. We need wisdom more than we need more fancy gadgets.
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