The Effects of Human Mobility

1394 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Modes of transportation throughout history

The Effects of Human Mobility The effect of human travel has been twofold on the course of human history. It has served to transfer technologies, and it has also served to facilitate the spread diseases. There are examples of how technology travels from one culture to another all over the place, from the readings and movies we watch to things that we surround ourselves with everyday. Most of these technologies serve to make the lives of humans easier or more fun, but there are some inventions that have served to only destroy or make others lives worse. In some cases the technology’s originally intended usage was preserved, but in others the technology is used in different manners. An example from one of the first readings from this class is the Chinese invention of gunpowder. Originally it was used for religious purposes, but once the technology spread west through human travel, Europeans used the gunpowder and invented guns and ammunition. Once guns were invented, though, their use has not been altered. Though there are many different models, and types of guns, they all operate under the same principles and for the same purpose. As I was trying to think of other examples of transfer of human technology through travel the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy” came to mind. I know that this movie doesn’t represent real life, and might not be based on a true story, but it shows an example of how technology from one culture can influence and change another. The basic premise of the movie is that a pilot is flying his plane over the African bush lands, and drops his Coke bottle out the window. The bottle falls into the hands of a tribe of bushmen who still live a relatively primitive lifestyle. The Coke bottle serves many different uses for them. This glass bottle is harder than most things that they had access to, and its mouth and base are circular. Eventually everyone in the tribe wanted to use the bottle for their own purposes. The drawback was that there was only one bottle, so everyone in the tribe begins to fight over it. The rest of the plot is irrelevant, but what I have retold so far serves to illustrate how human travel influences the spread of technology. It also illustrates that the use of one culture’s technology in another culture may not be the originally intended purpose.

Show More
Related

  • Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    “History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples’ environments, not because of biological differences among people themselves.”(Diamond 25) This statement is the thesis for Jared Diamond’s book Guns Germs and Steel the Fates of Human Societies.

    Read More

  • A History Of Dehumanization In Elie Wiesel's Night

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    What more is the point of learning and understanding human history than obtaining the knowledge and structure between what is right and what is wrong? We continuously believe that we as humans have the ability and intellect to learn from the lessons taught in our past in order to enrich our future. In comparison to the time frame that is human history the one hundred year period of time we discussed in the second halve of this semester is nothing but a slight blimp on the map that we have traversed. Yet, throughout our recent readings we can easily assimilate into the idea that although time may pass, and that we may attempt to learn from our history it is simply in human nature to repeat the mistakes that we have

    Read More

  • The Achievements of the Tang and Song Dynasties

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... gunpowder and porcelain of the Tang, and the compass and paper money of the Song, were perhaps ancient China’s most lasting and impactful inventions. Our whole lives could be different. A fireworks-less 4th of July, or maybe a world in which it costs 40lbs of copper for a loaf of bread. A world in which we live with porcelain-less toilet urinals. Oh the horror. On a more serious note, without the invention of gunpowder, this world will have seen less severe wars and longer reigns of peace, because wars without guns last much longer and cost a lot. This would prevent needless wars. So as to how beneficial gunpowder was to society, I think it did more harm than good. So remember, every time you’re at a urinal you can smile to yourself, because you know you’re urinating on what is essentially China.

    Read More

  • How Pyrotechnics and Explosives Have Changed the World

    2015 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...at area was taken over with little firepower from few men, but 1 bullet is as good as a thousand arrows if it’s aimed right. The invention of this thing people usually say is bad, guns kill people, and bombs are for nothing but death, even fireworks are too dangerous. They cannot see that it has made their life, it helped us become more modern through our aspirations to make a better powder we discovered so much more about the universe and ourselves chemically. How without these necessary “evils” could we be where we are today, we couldn’t. Thanks to over a thousand years of experimentation and refining of gunpowder, we understand things better in all types of ways, especially chemically and physically, and troves of knowledge gained on how to gain scientific knowledge from only observation, we can’t have chemistry or our history without pyrotechnics and explosives.

    Read More

  • The Veldt Essay

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    Technology is the ultimate tool to find almost anything that you are curious about. Technology can be used as a great tool for learning new things, but at the same time technology can be used in a negative manner. In the two stories “The Veldt” and “In Another Country” technology is used in the sense for making life much worse. The authors of the two short stories use technology to show that it is detrimental to society because it keeps society from being together.

    Read More

  • Technology: The Use Of Technology In Han And Rome

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Han and Roman empires both feel strongly about the advancement of technology during their time. Though both China and Rome favor technology, they have varying reasons for doing so such as seeing different advantages and disadvantages . Some political leaders and philosophers care and pay attention to different technologies while others’ have a more indifferent attitude towards it. The use of technology is seen in several ways, such as degrading or superior. The effects of technology were often preferred but they were not always positive and beneficial. A helpful document to be included and used to analyze this topic would be a source from the point of view of a common citizen from each society. A peasant’s voice would have shown what the people felt about the technologies that were used and invented.

    Read More

  • How Technology is Represented in Star Wars

    4385 Words  | 9 Pages

    When watching the film, Star Wars, it is impossible not to be aware of the technology that is represented in the film, partly because it is so much more advanced than our own is now, but also because we can imagine how we might someday acquire such technology. The central theme in Star Wars is good versus evil, clearly demonstrated by the technology in the film. While the Rebels (the good guys) use technology primarily to fight for freedom and quality of life for all, the Empire (the bad guys) use technology to develop weapons of destruction and war in an attempt to rule the galaxy. In addition to these two opposing sides, there is another group that doesn’t use technology for war. This group gets technology as it filters down from the other two groups at war. Consequently, in the film technology is used for good, for bad, and for everyday use. This mirrors our own society in many ways, and therefore, Star Wars is a great artifact to study to get a better understanding of our own technological advancements. In this report, we focus specifically on how the Empire, the Rebels, and the Non-Warring people of the film acquired, developed, and used technology and how that relates to our society today.

    Read More

  • Science Fiction: The Role of Technology

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    It seems since that dawn of the era of man we have always been in competition with one another. We have fought countless wars over every issue imaginable, with many great civilizations being founded and destroyed by war. Though with each new conflict comes newer and better technology. Technology is what drives civilizations forward, but it can also lead to its downfall. It is fascinating see how much technology has evolved over history, and how we have incorporated these innovations into newer technology. In past century technology has seen its greatest leap forward. This is in large part due to the two major World Wars that plagued the early part of the 20th century. (Koch p.122)

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis: It Always Costs By David Suzuki

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    The situations of technological flaws he chose as his examples added integrity to his arguments as well as proved his thesis. The author was skilled at explaining these examples profusely, thus further educating the readers and making them aware of how innovation can turn horribly wrong. One of Suzuki’s significant examples was the use of the DDT insecticide. The sole purpose of this chemical compound’s use was to kill malaria-carrying mosquitoes in hope of saving lives of those living in tropical climate countries. Although DDT did assist many, its use created more harm and damage than good. Evidently, that was not the goal of this insecticide; it was created to be helpful and to provide in a difficult circumstance. However, its side effects unmistakably cancel out any beneficial aspects it might have had. This example clearly illustrates the negative impacts technology has had on humanity. Another example Suzuki decided to put forth is the use of the oral contraceptive. Many overlook issues technology creates; they are too preoccupied with the benefits, it is all anyone can see! The oral contraceptive has undoubtedly helped countless women worldwide. However, as the author states in his essay, “ It was only after millions of healthy, normal women had taken the pill for years that epidemiologists could see negative effects. No amount of pretesting could have

    Read More

  • Balancing Technology: Innovation and Privacy Concerns

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution, technology has changed the world, conforming it into the techno-savvy world of modern times. While technology can cause slight problems, like in the example about the Next Generation identification, the possibilities of technology are continuously changing for the better. The everyday items of modern society were simply fiction several decades ago. While technology is used to complete tasks in fractions of the time, heal epidemics, and open doors of possibilities never dreamed achievable, this technology is only a beneficial resource to society if used with true intentions.

    Read More

  • Effects of Technology on Today's Society

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology is unavoidable in our modern lifestyle. You wake up, you use technology; you use technology while cooking, while eating, while driving. While you’re lying in bed before you fall asleep, you use technology, technology wakes you up in the morning. Is all the technology around you good for you, or is it harmful to your health? Was our society healthier or safer before all the advancements? So many questions and concerns about all of the technology we crave, but there are very few people who know the answers. Technology affects all parts of human life. It can create jobs, motivate people to get active, and assist people in learning, but this does not balance out that there are dangers that follow the use of technology.

    Read More

  • Human Beings and Their Control Over Nature in the Twentieth Century

    1744 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the history of western civilization, the human race has had a continuing relationship with nature and the environment. Progress has improved the way in which human beings use natural resources and the ways in which they work together to improve the quality of life. Developments in science and technology of the twentieth-century have greatly improved the way that humans interact. As the technological advancements of the twentieth-century progressed from the discovery of vaccinations to computer age technology, humans have learned to take a considerable amount of control over their lives and the environment as compared to the past, in which humans had very little control over nature. These progressions have had positive and negative effects on society. Positively, medical research has been able to allow the human race to lengthen life span and improve the work of genetics. Science has connected the globe through computer technology. The negative aspects of progression have some far-reaching consequences, such as new forms of imperialism, the atomic bomb, and destruction of the environment.

    Read More

  • Technological Advancement Essay

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history technology has been one of the most defining aspects of any time period. Technological advancement is often utilized to increase the human condition making life easier and increasing a societies chance of survival however what follows is not only a technological advancement, but also a change in the way societies interact and behave. Weather it be the creation of science during the age of reason, the advancement in communication and transportation in the industrial revolution, or the discovery of farming in the Neolithic revolution, each advancement in technology has led to a significant change in the political and social standards of society. Throughout history advancement in technology has marked a progression in society.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Technology and Human Culture

    2850 Words  | 6 Pages

    Human culture and technology are continually co-evolving in a dynamic relationship. All technologies (See Note 1) develop in a particular cultural context as the result of changing needs or constraints. But once developed, a technology changes the culture that gave it birth. When a technology spreads to another culture, the cultural context affects the speed or way in which the technology is adopted and how it is used. The diffusion of technologies to other cultures changes those other cultures as well. The changes in culture that one technology creates may then influence the development of another or different technology.

    Read More

  • The Egyptian Pyramids: The Evolution Of The Egyptian Pyramids

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    Modern humans owe the success and the continuous growth of their way of living, culture, technology, medicine, language and vast knowledge to their ancestors who had thrived hard to help themselves overcome the difficulty of life without having the advance technology that twenty-first century humans have. The accomplishments, wisdom and knowledge they have

    Read More

More about The Effects of Human Mobility

Open Document