The Future Of Computers And People Essay, Research Paper
People always tend to seek the easy way out looking for something that would
make their lives easier. Machines and tools have given us the ability to do more in
less time giving us, at the same time, more comfort. As the technology advances,
computers become faster and more powerful. These new machines enable us to do
more in less time making our lives easier. The increased use of computers in the
future, however, might have negative results and impact on our lives. Science
fiction writer Isaac Asimov illustrates perfect examples of this type of world in his
writings. In the novel Nine Tomorrows, Isaac Asimov often criticizes our reliance
on computers by portraying a futuristic world where computers control humans.
One of the images which Asimov describes in the book is that humans might
become too dependent on computers. In one of the stories, Profession, Asimov
writes about people being educated by computer programs designed to educate
effortlessly a person. According to the Profession story people would no longer read
books to learn and improve their knowledge. People would rely on the computers
rather than “try to memorize enough to match someone else who knows.” People
would not choose to study they would only want to be educated by computer tapes.
Putting in knowledge would take less time than reading books and memorizing
something that would take almost no time using a computer in the futuristic world
that Asimov describes. Humans might began to rely on computers and allow them
to control themselves by letting computers educate people. Computers would start
teaching humans what computers tell them without having any choice of creativity.
Computers would start to control humans’ lives and make humans become too
dependent on them.
Another point that is criticized by Asimov is the fact that people might take their
knowledge for granted, allowing computers to take over and control their lives. In a
story called The Feeling of Power, Asimov portrays how people started using
computers to do even simple mathematical calculations. Over a long period of time
people became so dependent on computers that they forgot the simplest
multiplication and division rules. If the people wanted to calculate an answer they
would simply use their pocket computer to do that. People became too independent
from the start, making them forget what they have learned in the past. People in the
story “The Feeling of Power” would take for granted what they have learned over
centuries of learning and would choose computers because of their ability to do
their work faster. The lack of manual mathematics, which people chose to forget in
the story, caused computers to be the ones to solve simple mathematic problems for
the people taking control of the humans by doing the work for them. The reliance of
computers went to such an extent that even Humans began to use computers in all
fields of study and work allowing computers to control their lives by taking over
and doing everything for them.
According to another story in the book, Asimov also describes how computers
would be able to predict probabilities of a future event. In the story “All the
Troubles of the World,” one big computer predicted crime before it even happened,
allowing the police to take the person who was going to commit the crime and
release him/her after the danger has passed. This computer, called Multivac,
controlled humans by telling the authorities about who was going to commit a
crime causing someone to be imprisoned until the danger has passed. It was the
computer that made the decision of someone’s freedom or imprisonment and that
controlled others to arrest a person it suspected of committing a crime controlling
his/her destiny. The decision of imprisoning someone for a crime a person did not
commit was all in the hands of a computer. It was the computer that controlled
humans and their destiny and controlling other humans who believed in everything
that computer told them. Multivac could not only predict the future but it also could
answer many questions that would normally embarrass people if they would have to
ask someone else about it. Multivac could access its vast database of trillions of
pieces of knowledge and find the best solution for one’s problem. All the people
believed that Multivac knew best and let the computer control their lives by
following the solutions it had given them. Humans followed a computer’s solution
to a problem they could not solve themselves, allowing a computer to take control
over their lives not allowing them to think for themselves.
In Nine Tomorrows, Isaac Asimov often criticizes our reliance on computers.
The author predicts that computers will increase their role in the future while the
technology advances. Computers will become faster and people will want to use
them more to make their lives easier. Yet, just like to any good side there is a bad
side. Just as Asimov reflects in his writing, humans might depend on the computers
so much that they would allow them to control their lives.
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