Articles about Engineers and Engineering
The Triumph of Technology
Reith Lectures 2005, BBC Radio 4
Lord Alec Broers
- Technology will Determine the Future of the Human Race
- Collaboration
- Innovation and Management
- Nanotechnology and Nanoscience
- Risk and Responsibility
- By way of conclusion [2]
The conclusion reflects on discussions raised in the lectures. One of these was about the role today of the individual in the creative process. Looking in particular at what motivates individuals to become interested in technology, Alec Broers observes that, compared to the past, technology has advanced so far that it has become inaccessible to its owner. He explains this by observing that building a product yourself out of inate curiosity today is usually completely deprived of usefulness because of the low cost of available commercial product. Likewise with setting out to modifying a product, because the comprehensive packaging of these makes that modification physically inaccessible. As a consequence, he argues that young people today are deprived of a useful practical outlet for their abilities and instead are left with the artificial world of models.
[1] Alec Broers
The Triumph of Technology
The BBC Reith Lecturers 2005,
URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2005/ (accessed 3 Nov. 2012)
[2] Alec Broers
The Triumph of Technology
The BBC Reith Lecturers 2005,
Cambridge University Press, 2005
ISBN 13 978-0-521-67965-7