Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
But what does it mean to become more fruitful? One way
to determine such success is to consider the economic
implications.
In economics, technology can be considered a tool of
''empowerment,'' in that it empowers producers to gen-
erate more output from given levels of the two inputs,
labor, and capital. A catalyst in chemistry is a substance
that increases the rate of reaction; in this context, one
might say that technology is a ''catalyst'' for the pro-
duction of output - as it increases the amount of output
we get from given inputs. Technology allows for the use
of more advanced capital, which results in better and
faster ways to create output. Producers are rendered
more efficient, as they are able to produce more output,
given the same amount of input. This results in greater
profit, which results in economic growth.
Technology improves utility as it allows for better use
of scarce resources, which are then allocated through the
economic system, facilitating the achievement of Pareto
optimality. That is, given a decision of whether to take an
action, the selected alternative must improve the lot of at
least one member of the affected group and cannot
worsen the plight of any other member (known as
a Pareto improvement). Thus, economics would drive
the decision toward improved utility, at least for that one
person.
Therefore, technology broadens the horizon through
which economics operates. When firms invest, they in-
crease capital; increasing our input means more output
and more economic growth. And when capital is de-
preciating, it is less productive, yielding less output.
Technology also allows higher levels of sustainability for
capital.
As discussed in Chapter 8.1 the economist, Malthus
did not realize that technology could increase food
supply. And his modern day disciple Paul Ehrlich, gives
an exceedingly grim prognosis for the future: ''Each year
food production in underdeveloped countries falls a bit
further behind burgeoning population growth, and
people go to bed a little hungrier. While there are tem-
porary or local reversals of this trend, it now seems in-
evitable that it will continue to its logical conclusion:
mass starvation.''
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Not only does Ehrlich state that the
world is headed toward calamity, he is convinced that
there is nothing anyone can really do that will provide
anything more than temporary abatement. To focus on
Ehrlich's attitude towards technology as part of the so-
lution to the impending problem is to see Ehrlich's
''technological pessimism,'' so to speak. Ehrlich's lack of
confidence in technology to deal with the problems
plaguing the future is seen in his statement: ''But, you say,
surely Science (with a capital ''S'') will find a way for us
to occupy the other planets of our solar system and
eventually
humanity is over.'' He insisted that India would be unable
to provide sustenance for the 200 million person influx in
its population by 1980. He was wrong - Ehrlich did not
count on the ''green revolution.''
As this predictive framework earned the title of
''dismal science'' for economics, engineers look upon the
same problems with more of a technical optimism.
Engineers bump up the Malthusian curve by finding
ways to improve conditions. In
The Engineer of 2020,
onefindsdescriptionsofthevariouswaysengineersin
thefuturewillhelptosolvetheverysameproblems
about which Ehrlich (and the Malthusian model in
general) is concerned. Where Ehrlich considered
technology's role in solving the problem would only be
seen through how ''improved technology has greatly
increased the potential of war as a population control
device,''
67
engineers look towards technology not as
Ehrlich's ''means for self-extermination''
68
but rather
they opt to use it to support and improve life in the
future.
According to National Academy of Engineering, the
world's population will approach 8 billion people; much
of this increase will be seen in groups that are today
considered underdeveloped countries, mainly in Asia and
Africa. Apparently, ''by 2015, and for the first time in
history, the majority of people, mostly poor will reside in
urban centers, mostly in countries that lack the eco-
nomic, social, and physical infrastructures to support
a burgeoning population.''
69
However, engineers see in
the challenge posed by the highly crowded and densely
populated world of 2020 an opportunity for ''the appli-
cation of thoughtfully constructed solutions through the
work of engineers.''
70
Likewise, engineers look upon the
necessity for improved health care delivery in the world
of future with confidence. The key word is confidence,
and not ''arrogance.'' Engineers must make advanced
technologies accessible to this evergrowing global popu-
lation base. In the next twenty years, positive implica-
tions on human health, will be possible due to improved
air quality and the control and clean up of hazardous
waste sites, and focused efforts to treat diseases like
malaria and AIDS.
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Engineers believe that they can solve the problems
posed by the future, as opposed to views like the one
posed by Ehrlich who sees a future where ''small pockets
of
Homo sapiens
hold on for a while in the Southern
Hemisphere, but slowly die out as social systems break
down, radiation poisoning takes effect, climatic changes
kill crops, livestock dies off, and various man-made
plagues spread. The most intelligent creatures ultimately
surviving this period are cockroaches.''
72
Indeed, this
dramatic example serves to illustrate the differences
between engineer's technical optimism and doomsayer's
technical pessimism, so to speak. But what does the
future call for - the proverbial idealist or the modern-day
of
other
stars
before
we
get
all
that
crowded.''
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Ehrlich was sure that ''the battle to feed
