Abstract
The problem this paper addresses is that we excel at making tools and technologies, yet the things we build and how we build them are often harmful to humanity and the environment. Examples from rocket and chemical technologies show that we continue to use technologies in the wrong way. We build rockets that take us to the moon, yet we use rocket technology to build missiles that attack and kill others. We build chemical compounds to power engines, yet we use chemical technology to create pesticides that cause illnesses. This paper suggests that we move beyond building and using technologies in ways that are harmful to humanity and the environment. The research considers whether we can move beyond being makers. It considers whether we can better recognize the possibilities of what things can be made and how we can build and use them. The research further considers that we create visions based on those possibilities. These visions could help guide us toward pathways that are more beneficial to humankind and our planet. The paper examines the concepts of possibility and vision from writers such as Thoreau, Gibran, and Huxley. The research considers literature that discusses humanity in the context of making, possibility, and vision. From this research, the paper hopes to show that we can understand the possibilities in things and ourselves. Through this understanding, we may create visions that lead us to make the right things while building and using them in the right ways.
Presenters
Russell SuerethStudent, PhD Candidate in Humanities and Technology, Salve Regina University, Rhode Island, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Traveling Concepts: The Transfer and Translation of Ideas in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Humanity, Homo-faber, Possibility, Vision, Technology, Maker, Thoreau, Gibran, Huxley
