Eddie on Science, Technology, Production's Fusion

Science, technology, and production fused together as the Industrial revolution and capital began growing in a grow-or-die embrace. As a result, inappropriate technologies flourish as an insatiable appetite for growth expands. Inappropriate technologies spread like plagues World-Wide while commercial propaganda replaces vital information to extend inappropriate technologies - - "breed and consume."

This "fusion" of science, technology, and production began in ernest as the Industrial Revolution followed in hot pursuit of the Enlightenment's drive away from the middle-ages, at least in Europe and Britain. At least, in part, it helped to open the gates of critical thinking. It helped to induce scientific ideas to apply inevitable efficiencies. The reproduction of society gave each generation more, not less, means of creating ecologically, inappropriate technologies. The drive for profit, expansion and consolidation of capital, ensured the spread of inappropriate technologies.

Here's one way to understand inappropriate technologies: Firing a canon ball to ring a doorbell is an inappropriate use of technology, not so unlike using nuclear energy to produce electricity. The canon in this example also represents an inappropriate technology, many will argue. "Its destiny is implied by its design."

Be that as it may, the canon's influence ends at the doorbell. However, the technologies of genetic engineering as well as nuclear, for another example, alter life forms. Like the canon, genetic engineering has a destiny in its design; unlike the cannon, genetic engineering's destiny influences human and non-human nature well beyond the perceivable future. Ecological problems grow exponentially because one in five non-indigenous (not native born) species, when introduced into a new habitat, dislodge indigenous (native born) species-populations.

Consequently, future generations may choose to ignore the canon's destiny and deny it a place in their society. But, they cannot choose to ignore genetic engineering's destiny or deny it a place in their society, since our generation embedded altered life-forrms in non-human nature. Ecological collapse now occurs as humanity fails to change its attitude toward nature. The same reasoning applies to other inappropriate technologies that risk life's ecological security, like nuclear energy.