Week 1

My first lesson for Technology and World Change was on the 19th of August earlier this week. Being a completely new subject, I came to class without any expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. My eyes were opened to everyone's different and interesting thoughts on technology and how it changed the world. Though just an introductory lecture, I felt that it was a topic with great depth and lots of room for my own research and exploration.

Another interesting part of the lecture were the thought provoking readings, especially the book, "Guns, Germs and Steel". The first chapter of the book was about a Papa New Guinea native asking the author why was there such a stark difference in their wealth and assets. Such a question struck a chord with me, as I had always wondered why the Western countries like USA and those in Europe were ahead in development and wealth as compared to the Indians and Chinese, despite them having a more advanced civilization centuries ago. The author sought to explore different reasons and viewpoints to answer the question. Though there can be no definite answer, one thing was certain. India and China, having been in the shadow of the Western nations for the past century, are indeed catching up. Today, China is the world's 2nd largest economy, while India is already an IT global hub, which I hope the further lectures in Technology and World Change will help explain why.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/themes/science/ was another article that caught my attention. The article explored the role of the highly religious conservatives in hindering the advancement of technology that led to the fall of the Middle Eastern empires like the Ottoman Empire. I felt that interference by outside powers also played a major role in disrupting a country's growth and development, like many of Africa's oil reserves belonging to foreign firms rather than the country itself. As such, these countries are unable to benefit from their natural resources.

There are interesting ideas that can be drawn from the course readings above. Nothing is constant, especially in today's world, where the technology is constantly evolving. An advanced civilization like Ancient India and China could be overtaken by other countries in a flash, but once again, the tide is changing. Many unpredictable events like civil conflicts and war also play an important role as they can severely hinder a country's development. An example would be Mozambique. During the war of independence against Portugal and the civil war that followed, much of its extensive railroads were destroyed, crippling the country's economy. It was not only till recently that Mozambique managed to apply for a loan from the World Bank to rebuild its railways again.

To conclude, the first lecture really whetted my appetite and I really look forward to the next lecture as well as more interesting discussions from the Professor.

9/10