The End of Technology
Written in October, 2024 for History 2901 at The University of Winnipeg
In Peter Denton’s book The End of Technology he describes technology as being more cognitive than physically instrumental. In order to invent a piece of tangible technology there must first be a choice made to simplify a process or action by utilizing real world items manicured specifically for the betterment of the activity. For a piece of technology to be invented there must be a need followed by the imagining of what would fill that need and a subsequent product to fulfill the need. Technology is the creation of tools but without the mental capacity to asses the situation and decidedly create the tool the technology itself is useless.
The best example Denton describes in his book is Grok[1], the name given to the person of story who bludgeoned a sabretooth tiger with a rock. The rock is then stolen from Grok in the night and when the wild beast comes to take its next victim the rock was then ceremoniously presented in order to prevent an attack. The rock did nothing to deter the violence as it is only a rock and cannot inhibit the sabretooth tiger just by being a rock. It is the mind that makes the rock a viable tool for protection.
This is crucial to understanding our perception of what technology is. Situations requiring a novel solution creates the opportunity for a novel technology to be created. With this perspective that a solution is required makes the items in our proximity potential pieces of the resolution to the situation at hand. To see a rock as just a rock one might only see a heavy obstacle but when one chooses to consider the density and the grip potential of a rock it becomes a tool to be used for self defence, as a door jam, as a tool to pound tent pegs and plenty more. Without the mind the rock remains a rock. When the mind considers alternative solutions to the present issue the rock has the potential to become a tool, a weapon, a piece of technology.
If someone living in the suburbs purchases an electric vehicle there are values evident on the surface of the situation which suggest why they may have done so. Their purchase indicates a want to step away from the consumption of fossil fuels to power their daily use vehicle. This could be for a variety of reasons ranging from wanting to reduce their carbon footprint to the social approval that comes with becoming one of the elite owners of an electric vehicle, the seemingly clear path into the future of personal carbon reduction. On the surface their purchase is progressive and, if we were to follow their footsteps, will make the world a better place.
If we breakdown the purchase to assess the accuracy of these assumptions we can adopt a greater understanding of the situation at hand. At the T1 level, the creation and production of electric vehicles, we see the batteries required for EVs require natural resources of a different variety than fossil fuels: cobalt, lithium, manganese, nickel, and natural graphite.[2] Cobalt, a necessary element of rechargeable batteries, is mined from a variety of sources but much of it is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in inhumane conditions. Unsafe to those working the mines as well as those in nearby communities, some studies indicate cobalt mines lead to neurological impairment among children who are exposed to elements of the mining process[3].
This specific element can be analysed at the T2 level where it can be determined that an adjustment should be made to the development of rechargeable batteries due to the present situation of precious minerals being mined in unstable countries where regulations are few and the risk of crime lords involving themselves in regions with mineral mines is high. The creation of electric vehicles also comes with an understanding that we require a better establishment of what happens with expired EV batteries. Presently the systems in place lack an effective means of recycling the batteries[4] which sets us on an alternative path of unsustainability rather than stepping off such paths entirely.
At the T3 level we see the wholesale rollout of EVs, some of which have little or no advertising campaigns. Those that do advertise promote the idea of taking a step towards preventing environmental degradation. The specific EV chosen by the buyer is chosen not because it was the only such vehicle available but because of qualities or promotions that company offers. A crucial part of the promotion of EVs in the west is the idea of the saviour, the forward-thinking way of driving. Perhaps the alternative to lessening our impact on the environment is not replacing the way our vehicles are fueled rather replacing the manner we travel. This idea does not work to benefit the manufacturers who would rather promote the moral victory of the buyer, creating an emotional and personal incentive for purchasing an EV.
When we look back to today’s day and age a major focal point will land on our abundance of consumption motivated by short-term payoffs. The technological strides made towards bettering our own lives is greater than the advancements in technology designed to better strengthen our capacity to live sustainably. Our era will be one defined by the blind ambition for self-fulfilment and instantaneous gratification. Our present model of living improves the lives of the privileged in the world with no consideration of the long-term and intermittent consequences for less privileged people in other parts of the world.
By 2044 there is a shaky hope we will have taken the necessary steps to fully address the climate crisis as a large part of it would require our collective acceptance of lesser travel and reduced consumption. Rather than reducing the damage this era will be remembered as the one which had the chance and, despite the will of the few, was misdirected by the strong, the wealthy. In an era where climate expositions are flown to by delegates from across the world despite the availability of technology which eliminates any need to travel in order to share ideas we are collectively too caught up in our own individual lives, our own little bubble of existence. This perspective makes the near daily purchase of Starbucks logical because it is a fast exchange of earned income for a tasty treat. However, the consequences of where the non-reusable plastic ends up, whether the farmers growing and harvesting the coffee beans are paid fairly, whether the employees of the company are treated and paid adequately or how much carbon is produced while we sit in the drive through is never considered.
20 years from now we will see that low-cost technology and convenience are the two nails which were never able to be removed from the coffin. Rather than curbing these behaviours of instant purchasing and infinite economic growth our era will be remembered as the one which never stopped consuming. It seems unlikely we will resolve temptation among Western consumers and we will instead adjust to temper the damages this behaviour creates as it is difficult to imagine we will reduce our consumption. Part of this means our era needs to make massive corrective action to reduce priority of cheaply made plastic products. In all likelihood we will instead seek alternative methods of disposal which may one day include launching our collective tons of plastic waste into space. We will not change our habits, we will only alter how we dodge the consequences.
Average Joe either cares about sustainability or he does not. Either way for many it is just cheaper and easier to use the less sustainable product. In order to overcome our crisis of plastic we must abandon cheap and easy to produce products in our daily lives. There is little incentive for most major distributors and producers to do so and less for consumers on a budget. We are in an era of environmental enlightenment but the grip of consumerism has tightened. We are accustomed to purchasing whatever we want, whenever we want, and having it arrive at our doorstep within 2 days. This system which we are only further subjecting ourselves to has no consideration for long term consequences. This is the crucial change we are required to make but I am not optimistic we will do so. We are addicted to convenience and are easily distracted making it difficult to fathom our world will adjust to be less selfish and more forward-thinking.
[1] Peter Denton, The End of Technology (Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2022), 3-6.
[2] International Energy Agency, “Minerals Used in Electric Cars Compared to Conventional Cars – Charts – Data & Statistics,” IEA, May 5, 2021, https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/minerals-used-in-electric-cars-compared-to-conventional-cars.
[3] Béatrice Koba Bora et al., “Concurrent Exposure to Heavy Metals and Cognition in School-Age Children in Congo-Kinshasa: A Complex Overdue Research Agenda,” Brain Research Bulletin 145 (February 2019): 81–86.
[4]Ian Morse, “A Dead Battery Dilemma,” Science, May 20, 2021, https://www.science.org/content/article/millions-electric-cars-are-coming-what-happens-all-dead-batteries.
Bibliography
Denton, Peter. The End of Technology. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2022.
International Energy Agency. “Minerals Used in Electric Cars Compared to Conventional Cars – Charts – Data & Statistics.” IEA, May 5, 2021. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/minerals-used-in-electric-cars-compared-to-conventional-cars.
Koba Bora, Béatrice, Ana Luiza Ramos-Crawford , Alla Sikorskii, and et al. “Concurrent Exposure to Heavy Metals and Cognition in School-Age Children in Congo-Kinshasa: A Complex Overdue Research Agenda.” Brain Research Bulletin 145 (February 2019): 81–86.
Morse, Ian. “A Dead Battery Dilemma.” Science, May 20, 2021. https://www.science.org/content/article/millions-electric-cars-are-coming-what-happens-all-dead-batteries.