Thinking Through Technology by Carl Mitcham (p.39-49)

Mitcham quotes Rousseau as stating ‘not only have “our souls been corrupted in proportion as our sciences and arts have advanced toward perfection,” but “the sciences and arts owe their birth to our vices.”’ He then points out that Rousseau uses the term ‘vice’ as in ‘selfishness and fear’. It seems that the 'selfishness' he refers to is that of desiring perfection in any endeavour and a 'fear' of failing in the quest to attain such perfection. These two emotions have had a significant impact in driving the evolution of the sciences and arts. He also mentions Mumford’s argument that “It is not making but thinking, not the tool but the mind, that is the basis of humanity.” This is, without a doubt, a very powerful statement. Consider any scientific breakthrough in history, and there would have certainly been thinking within the mind of an intellectual human that led to it being realized. The tools alone, without the processing in the mind, would have proven futile. Mumford also stresses the importance of thinking. Humans have the intelligence to be able to start from scratch, even if it would require time and patience. But without that ability to interpret and devise ideas, even with all of the tools known to man, there would be no progress in moving from the raw materials to the mechanical inventions we take for granted. This gift of intelligence that mankind has been blessed with enables us to formulate ideas and build machines to the benefit of the population. However, the same intelligence can also be a burden to the society if technological advancements were to fall into the wrong hands. Hence, limitations on the use of such technology are necessary to prevent catastrophes. The establishment of such limitations too come from further thinking. In short, humans would not have been all too dissimilar to other creatures had we not received the ability to think that allows us to grow as a species.