Since the inception of the human species, the collective aim of mankind has always been the same: to grow, to evolve, to progress and to wake up to a better tomorrow. In this journey, man has achieved great things; he has done everything in his power to make life easier for himself on earth. He studied the world, utilised the resources and broke one of the most important laws of nature to assemble one powerful giant that would assert and uphold his dominance on earth: Technology. And clearly, it has served the purpose; it revolutionised our world and offered man the reins of this planet.
On the other hand, there has been a growing fear in some sections of our society about the extensive use and influence of technology on our lives. Many scientists and psychologists expressed their discontent over the ever-growing dependence of man on technology. In this world, millions of people earn their livelihood by working in the factories or construction sites. It is feared that if technology were to replace all those people, and do all their work, in the name of making work easier for man, millions of people would be unemployed and that would lead to anarchy. But is this possible? Can a non-living entity that does not have imaginative power or the ability to think ever replace its own master?
For a species to survive on a planet, it needs to be compatible with the environment of that planet. Man has survived on earth for all these years because his configuration and physical formation are supported by earth, because man, as a part of nature, is self-balancing, self-adjusting and recognises the nature’s law of self limit. But technology does not possess these qualities. It does not recognise the principle of self limit and is therefore incompatible with nature.
Although the prospect of technology replacing man is quite unthinkable, efforts have to be made to make ourselves irreplaceable. As the famous economist E.F. Schumacher said, “Man is an animal whose two biggest weapons are his brain and his hands”. Man tends to like the work that keeps his brain and hands at work simultaneously. Unlike us, technology has no objection doing dull, bland work. So, perhaps it is wise to revise and rethink the kind of work that man is employed to do. People should be encouraged to do the kind of work that a machine can’t. Man should use his imaginative power to do things that are beyond technology. It is said that man is the greatest creation of God. True to this saying, man has always possessed a unique element that made us stand apart from the rest of the universe, a divine blessing that enabled us to observe and perceive the world around us and emerge as a super power. While technology has been a great help to us, it is better to confine its role to the kind of work that does not require human intelligence as opposed to artificial intelligence. This sharing of work will help to keep the prospect of man being replaced by technology at bay and establish a harmonious relationship between the same.